The Slave's Tale
by Ji-Smith
Summary: Taking place several years before the events of Skyrim, the young Redguard, Damos is taken captive after his town is ransacked by slavers. He is transported to Alik'r Arena, an unofficial arena where slaves are trained and fight for their lives day to day in the deepest, most unlivable part of the Alik'r Desert as gladiators. Will Damos live long enough to find a way to escape?
1. The Day of Lights

Chapter 1

The Day of Lights

The noon day sun beamed down on the small village located in the province of Hammerfell, more specifically the town of Skaven. It was the sixteenth of Morning Star, the Day of Lights, and young Damos was very excited. The young Redguard was running bouncing through his home over the excitement of the day. Damos' mother sat smiling, as she nursed the boy's baby sister, the young and beautiful Redguard sat smiling as she spoke.

"Be still now Damos, your father will be home soon and he will want you to be ready for your first hunt, my child." She warned

"But mother, how could I ever sit still, my first hunt! I only wish he could arrive sooner from his scouting for some game, I want to fell the first beast I see!" He continued to jump around.

"My child, your father will arrive soon, you don't even have any shoes on, have you even oiled your bowstring, or checked your arrows?" She asked, his mother was very wise, even with her age.

Damos thanking his mother as he ran into his room. The longbow that his father had recently crafted for this very occasion sat untouched against the boys bed, the quiver of arrows sat close to them as Damos snatched them up, stumbling as he ran from his room to the cooking area of their small house. Materials were very scarce and people found uses for everything where Damos lived. By melting the fat down from kills, the Redguard people could acquire a fine oil, that could be used for a multitude of uses, in this case, the fat oil was used to drench the bowstring, making it more flexible and durable.

"There, its done..." He spoke reassuringly to himself, before rinsing his hands with a small amount of water, which was also very rare.

Before his mother could say anything else, the wooden door of their house opened. A large man stepped in, his stocky frame was filled with muscle and sinew. His face was, if anything else, handsome, as he sported the wiry hair of the Redguard race, although it wasn't on top of his head, no, most of his hair was on his chin in a large beard. To anyone else, this man would arouse fear, but to Damos, the large man was a beacon of love.

"Father!" He yelled before running to jump into the arms of the large man, the deep voice of the large man and the sharp one of the young boy resounded throughout the home. His father's deep voice boomed as he acknowledged Damos.

"Well I see that your very excited about your first hunt Damos, and do I have an adventure for you!" His father bragged.

"I'm ready for anything father!"

The two of them laughed a little together before bidding farewell to the female members of their family before heading out on their hunt.

The town of Skaven hugged the edges of the Alik'r Desert, the most prominent feature of the province of Hammerfell, and the Dragontail Mountains, the large region in northeastern Hammerfell.

Damos' father, being a hunter, reaped the benefits of the dry desert with respect for it. From the desert he got meat for his family, hides for clothes, herbs for when they got sick, and anything else you could probably think of.

The two of them were silent as they stalked the dry sands of the Alik'r, the sun now setting on the two hunters as day turned into night. The temperature dropped quickly and before long the light of the moon shined down on the chilled pair.

"Father, I am cold."

"I know, I am as well Damos, but stay strong, if we keep moving, we can raise our body temperatures."

"Yes Father."

Damos and his father were now well over three leagues from their home and they finally found the first signs of game, but when they inspected what they thought were the hoof prints of deer, they soon realized something was amiss.

"These are horse prints..."

"Horse prints!" Damos had never actually seen a horse before, only hearing about them in the stories that were told to him when he was sent to bed.

"Yes my son, and a lot of them at that, there were at least twenty different animals here not long ago, about an hour or so ago, by the looks of the prints, and they were headed toward Skaven."

Damos laughed. "Maybe they're visiting for the Day of Lights?"

Damos' father grunted before rising, having stooped to get a better look at the tracks. His normally pleasant attitude shifted to worry as he turned and started walking back towards Skaven.

"Come my son, I feel something wrong in the wind."

Damos was always told to follow his instincts, and his father was obviously following his. Sad about his first hunt not being successful, he followed his father who sped up the pace to a run.

Damos fell to his knees, breathing hard, making the three hour journey back in only one. The two hunters now were on top of a tall sand dune, less than a league away. But from their position they could see the lights of fires burning in the small town of Skaven.

"Look Father, the Day of Lights has begun, see there was nothing to fear after all." He smiled.

His father on the other hand, did not cease in his barren look, dropping his items he ran towards the village, dropping everything he had except his bow and arrows.

Damos, confused, inspected the sight of his home town once more before gasping in understanding. The fires burned brighter than usual, and with his eyes, Damos saw that the fires were green. He knew that certain minerals would change the color of a fire when burned, but he was never shown this. The flames seemed unnatural, and they seemed evil.

Tripping and stumbling down the dune, he ran after his father, scared as the screams of pain and anguish filled the air. Once he reached the outskirts of the town, full chaos erupted. People that he knew and didn't ran, fought, and killed as he made towards his home. The culprits, he now saw, were slavers, people who lived the in the deepest, most unlivable parts of the Alik'r. They thrived on discord, and their signature were the green flames that burned brightly everywhere.

Damos finally made it to his home, which now like most of the others, was alight with the green flames. He started to break down but was intent on helping his hometown. So ducking as the flames licked his clothes, Damos headed into his flaming house.

The first thing he noticed was that he couldn't breath, the poisonous fumes given off by the flames filled his lungs and sent him into a series of rough coughs. His eyes burned, tears only making it worse as he struggled through the fallen debris and obstacles. His shoulders became heavy with the burden of no oxygen and he soon found himself tripping over something. Turning to look, he saw the outline of a body. Losing his composure for a second, he pulled on the body, breaking down when he realized it as the body of his mother. Damos shook with sadness and anger, his tears beginning to soak his face and clothes as he cried for her, still coughing and blind inside the burning building.

He couldn't see his sister, and for all he knew she was dead as well. Feeling the green flames grow closer to both him and his mother's body, Damos decided to act. Still crying, the young boy pulled his mother's body through the burning house as the black miasma continued to fill his lungs. Burned beams fell constantly inside of his house, hitting him constantly and burning his body. Still persistent on making it out, he dragged his mother's body faster until he could feel the chilly desert air lick his cheek and enter his lungs.

"Mother! Wake up,we made it!" He pleaded with the body of his mother as he continued to shake her body to revive her somehow, but inside he really knew she was gone.

Damos didn't know how long he sat by his mother's body, it seemed like only a few minutes, but really all the fires had quenched themselves, most of the fighting had died down, and the slavers now stalked the remains of the town of Skaven for any survivors.

One, a large male with a serpentine demeanor, walked up on the crying boy, stooping next to the body of a Redguard woman. He snickered at this and readied his shackles, tackling the boy who was caught off guard by the whole thing.

Damos' mind went blank as he now lay on his stomach, his face buried in the sand as he was shackled. How dare this monster try and take him away from his mother. This set the young one off, and he wrestled his hands from the man's shackles before he could be restrained. Kicking his feet back, he caught both heels in the face of the slaver, who fell on his back in pain and frustration. Before he could rise however, the young Redguard showed his race's prowess in battle, grabbing two large splinters in each hand before he was upon the slaver, stabbing over and over, burying the splinters into the flesh of the man's neck. Blood spurted everywhere, the slaver's body seizing as the life drained from his body. Standing over the body, Damos breathed hard, both pieces of wood now dropping from his hands as he roared a loud battle cry.

This however was his downfall, as more slavers came to the aid of their fallen comrade. What they witnessed was the form of their brother, savagely killed, beneath the form of a young Redguard.

Damos was ready to die with his mother and he tried to fight back, but the hefty strike from the blunt side of one of the slaver's scimitars ended the boy's rage, knocking him out cold. The last thing Damos remembered seeing that day were the darkened forms of the slavers walking towards him and laughing with their accomplishment.


	2. The Alik'r Shadow

Chapter 2

The Alik'r Shadow

Damos' head throbbed with pain as his eyes opened. He tried to rise, but he found his hands and feet shackled up and he pulled on them with no avail. He could hear the gallop of horses, even though he could not see. He looked around and saw that he was inside some sort of cart used for transporting slaves, Damos not being the only one inside he now noticed. The cart was filled with other people, all beaten up shackled just like him, some faces he recognized, others not so much. As he took in his surroundings, he could feel that it was night once more, so it had been a day since his capture, and the captured slept.

"I see your awake then, little Redguard." Damos turned his head, viewing the image of a large, dark green skinned male who was shackled opposite of him.

"Yes, what are you?" Damos questioned.

"I am an Orc, is this your first time seeing my kind?" The large Orsimer questioned back.

"Yes, I mean I have heard of Orcs, how mighty we are, but my people have defeated your kind before have we not?" Damos bragged back at the Orc.

The Orc laughed out loud, ignoring the dire situation they and the rest of the slaves were in. While he laughed, Damos took his time to study the strange creature before him. He was much larger than anyone else he had ever known, he now understood why the Redguards had gained so much recognition for defeating them. He wore nothing but some ragged trousers, his bare chest filled with muscle and sinew, was covered in scars and bruises, some older than others. His face was very grotesque, covered in scars and war paint.

"You have bite, little Redguard, you do have bite. So how were you captured?"

"Me and my father..." Damos trailed off before he looked desperately for his father, the last time he saw his father was when he ran first into the burning Skaven, but that was at least several hours ago, and by the looks, he was not in the cart, maybe there were other carts?

"Me and my father were going on my first hunt, when we returned, we found our home being attacked...the two of us couldn't have helped anyway." Damos looked down in despair over his fallen town. Right now he could picture the town, littered with the bodies of the townspeople, the small town eerily silent.

"Do not think of your effort in vain, little Redguard...I overheard the slavers talking about you, how you slayed one of their own, how they described the scene, you have the makings of warrior, little Redguard, because you sure have the blood lust of one."

Damos did not like the sound of that, he was angry when he killed that man. Looking at his hands, he could still see the dried blood from his victim. It made him feel sick on how he took the life, his father killed animals since he was a hunter, but only because he had to feed his family. Damos had taken the life of a man, an equal regardless of his actions. And as he rode along in the horse drawn cart, the friendly Orc opposite of him, Damos began to hate himself for what he had done. He hated himself so much, how he couldn't help his town, his family, and how he killed the slaver.

"I see you are taking in the recent events of your life, I will let you ponder on them, if you ever need someone to talk to, I am right here." The Orc did something between a smile and a smirk before he turned his head, resting it on his muscular shoulder.

Damos didn't respond to this, he just kept looking at his bloody, shackled hands. Resting his head against the wall of the carriage, Damos looked up and sighed. The desert air chilled his body, and with the ragged clothes he wore, it didn't really look like he was gonna get warm at all. The young Redguard started to cry when he made sure everyone, including the Orc, were sleeping. His tears chilled his body further but he didn't really care, his home, his family, everything he had to live for was gone. He just wished that when they finally stopped, the slavers would choose to kill him for killing their comrade. He didn't move for several hours, his small body beaten and cold as the cart moved on through the Alik'r

_Do not fret, my child, all will be well. _Damos stopped sobbing for a while as he heard the voice. He looked around, no one was awake except for him, and he was confused until he heard it once more.

_Be still, my child, you are under my guidance, I will watch over you..._

After this the voice trailed off and all was silent. All of a sudden, Damos felt much better, like everything was going to be okay. The small barred window that supplied fresh air to the cart was suddenly filled with the light of sun. _Dawn, _Damos thought, but before he could do anything else, he was jerked, hitting the floor of the cart as it stopped.

The other captives woke up with groans of pain and frustration. The sounds of the door being unlocked were quick before the bright light of the sun filled the usually dark cart. Everyone inside closed their eyes at the light before the slavers entered, shouting orders with their scimitars brandished. They unlocked the shackles from the chains attached to the wall and freed the slaves legs before everyone held inside was roughly leaded outside.

Damos was being held by a strong slaver, his body much larger than his as he tossed the young Redguard. Landing softly in the cool sand, Damos would struggled to pick himself up, now sitting on his rear as he looked around. As far as his eyes could see, the golden dunes of the Alik'r winded and winded like an ocean of sand. As he turned his body around, Damos could view the vehicle he was being carried in. The base was a wooden cart, but the sides had been built up with metal and wood until it turned into the perfect carriage for transporting slaves. The most horrible thing was that it wasn't just four or five, no, this was an entire caravan of these, holding fifteen slaves each.

Damos gasped as they bounty of slaves were all removed from their imprisonment. The slavers were all wrapped in the basic attire of a desert traveler, thin robes covered with a leather cuirass to protect their bodies. They wore these wraps of cloth around their heads to shield it from the sun and spike helmets.

He was transfixed with the weird appearance of the slavers but was jerked into reality when he heard the screams of women and men. One by one, the slavers pulled individual captives from certain groups and held them in front of everyone. It seemed like they chose the slaves at random as they grabbed man and woman alike before one of the slavers stepped forward. Unlike the others, his robes were blood red, no doubt he had killed many people, thought Damos.

"I am Al Tufayl, if you aren't quick enough to notice, you have been taken captive for the amusement of my kinsmen and others who pay the toll to do so. You see, me and my comrades have a good business going on, and I don't want to spoil the surprise for you, but you shall soon see."

Damos almost immediately hated this "Al Tufayl" the minute he opened his mouth. He continued on with his speech to all who listened, although Damos did not. From what he observed, it pained Damos to see that this man was, like him, a Redguard. He had no idea why a fellow Redguard would do this to his brethren, all Redguards automatically had respect for others of their race. This clown however didn't appear to be all Redguard however, his demeanor and how he spoke gave this away.

Pointing to the group of slaves chosen before, Al Tufayl smiled mischievously as he explained why they had been chosen.

"These captives you see before you did not recognize their place unfortunately. You see, all of the souls before you have slain one of my comrades in futile attempt to stop our efforts to capture them and their loved ones. I don't take kindly to that, so they will be used as example for everyone's benefit, to show you what happens when you cross me!"

Al Tufayl shouted the last bits of his speech as all the slavers howled and shouted along with him. They praised this man like he was a god, thought Damos and all he could do was watch as the slaver leader pulled forth his scimitar, the silver blade was covered in blood.

"Ill fate to a warrior who does not clean his blade..." Said someone behind Damos and when he turned, he was greeted by the face of the same Orc who he had met earlier.

"This man is not a warrior, he is a snake that should be punished for his crimes!" Damos retorted back to the Orc as he strained his arms, trying to free himself once more.

The Orc laughed silently before speaking once more. "Hmm, and just a few hours ago you were feeling sorry for one of these swine weren't you, little Redguard?" The Orc spit back.

"My name is Damos, not little Redguard, and yes I did but now I don't know what to think, my gut is telling me that they all deserve to die, but my mind is saying no. I'm really confused."

Before the Orc could say anything else, the pained cry of the first volunteered example filled the air. He fell to his knees as Al Tufayl impaled him on his scimitar, the blade protruding out of his back. Blood splattered everywhere before Al Tufayl pulled the blade from the slave, the victim's body falling to the sand, changing it from gold to crimson. The pained sob of a woman sounded right after the man's body hit the ground, most likely the victim's wife, as the slaves shouted and cried in fear and sorry over their fallen chain-sibling.

Damos looked at the man's body, his face was pointed towards Damos, and even though his body was well over several yards away, the young Redguard could see the light leave his eyes, his body spasm once more before it ceased and he left this world. Two slavers grabbed the man by his feet before they carried him away, dropping the body where they planned to build a pile.

One after another, man and woman alike were cut down by Al Tufayl's blade. Damos watched all of this, taking in everything as he watched the life ebb away from all of their bodies. The pile of bodies was beginning to get high as Al Tufayl came to his last victim. Damos looked away, not wishing to look as Al Tufayl detailed how he would kill this once special since he was the last.

"Malacath, I only ask that this man suffers for what he has done today!" The Orc spoke silently behind Damos as the last example was brought forth.

"You monster! How could you kill all these people for trying to defend themselves!" Shouted someone from the large amount of watching slaves, a slaver quickly finding them beat them with a hefty club. The slaves all started to shout now all of them ignoring the beatings from the clubs as they were reprimanded for their outbursts against Al Tufayl.

"Enough!" The voice seemed to come from nowhere and Damos opened his eyes, he turned and gasped as he saw the voice come from the last example, the voice deep and familiar, and the young boy now saw that the last person was his father.

"Do not fret over my death, or that one of my brethren who lay before you. We all were doing what we should have done, we defended our families, our friends, our homes, the people we love. I know that we will be avenged one day, and I go in peace knowing that this will happen." Damos' father spoke before he was lowered to his knees.

"Father!" Damos cried loudly, his father turning his head to see the image of his son in shackles. Even though the thought of his son being held captive broke his heart, he was happy to see the only other surviving member of his family.

"Father! I'm sorry I couldn't help, it's my fault this happened!" Damos couldn't help but cry as his father smiled at him, not fretting over the close death he would soon receive.

"Damos!" His father shouted once making the boy stop his sobbing and look straight at him.

"You are not at fault here, you should know this. I want you to be content with what happened and only think of your survival. Be strong! And know that I love you with all my heart, my son..." Damos' father spoke with a single tear before he smiled warmly at his son, now looking up at the sky as he signaled that he was ready, Al Tufayl's blade resting steadily at his back.

"No Father! Don't...!" Before he could finish the scimitar quickly entered and exited the man's chest, slicing through his heart and ceasing it to beat.

"Don't cry my son..." His father spoke finally as his head lowered. Even in death, the strong body of the Redguard did not falter as it did not fall. There the body of Damos' father sat as it rested on its knees. Al Tufayl would sigh as he sheathed his scimitar, lazily walking away from the body, signifying that he didn't want it to be burned with the others.

Damos seethed in sorrow, but something stronger was growing inside of him: anger. The boy shouted loudly, his mouth opened wide as he took off after the man who killed his father. This caught everyone off guard, except for the Orc who smiled at the sight of the young boy racing after Al Tufayl.

Turning now, Al Tufayl would see small boy running quickly after him. Clothed in ragged clothing, hands shackled behind him, the other slavers thought that he wouldn't be a problem for their leader.

But contrary to what they thought, Al Tufayl saw something different. This small boy racing at him, eyes filled with rage, mouth open and teeth barred, and roaring like a sabercat. This small nuisance didn't fill the slaver leader with amusement at the attempt, but with fear, fear that one day this boy would do the very thing that his father had just spoken of, end Al Tufayl's life.

Damos' roaring grew louder and he jumped, ramming his full body into that one of the lead slaver. What the slaver's and Damos himself didn't know, was that the young boy possessed a lot of strength in his anger and he successfully knocked the man over, his whole body now a weapon as he kicked, bit and headbutted the slaver leader.

This is when the other slavers started to react, rushing to help their fallen leader up as they restrained the raging youth. As he rose, Al Tufayl was frozen with fear at the boy, but in the presence of his comrades, he spoke with a regular demeanor, even though he shook with fear.

"I want this to be restrained and accompanied in my chambers when we arrive! I have something special in mind for this young rebel, is this understood?" He shouted to his men. They nodded before Al Tufayl stuck his face into the face of the young Redguard, his rancid breath tickling Damos' nostrils. "If you think that this little outburst will benefit your already bleak looking future, think different, because as soon as you arrive, you will be punished in the full measure!"

Damos spat hard in Al Tufayl's face, snickering afterward before the man kicked him roughly in the gut, the young one bending over in pain. Al Tufayl, furious with the audacity of the small Redguard, signaled his men to take the boy away, wiping his face with his sleeve.

The sun was in the center of the sky before the caravan finally started to move again, all of the slaver carriages taking up their ordinary formation until all was the same as before. Damos, fury still in his heart, sat seething in anger as he thought of ways to kill this man for the actions he had done. He had changed so much during his time as a slave, and he was already thinking differently from one of his age who was fed with the silver spoon. His main goal now was to stay along, to stay along long enough for him to figure out a way to kill the very man who killed his father: Al Tufayl.

"What you did was extremely ignorant, but also very courageous, young Damos." A voice spoke, and lifting his head, he saw that it belonged to the same Orc who he had grown acquainted with. The large green-bodied male sat up as he spoke to Damos, the other slaves sleeping as they conversed.

"I take it you admired my show then?" Damos snickered at his joke, his mood lifting with the small talk.

"Oh not just me, but about every other brother or sister in chain who saw your actions, the sight of a young boy rebelling against a seemingly stronger opponent with no regard of his life, but for the revenge of his father, that is something to see." The Orc's strong head nodded with his approval of the actions.

"Well thank you. You know, after all this time, I still haven't caught your name, you know my name but you haven't graced me with yours yet." Damos spoke with a smile.

The Orc swelled his chest up and seemed to stand as he answered Damos. "I am Urzob, back in the Dragontail Mountains however, I was know as Urzob the Slayer!" Urzob shouted his name and title, staggering some of the other slavers from their sleep, cursing him for stopping the little rest they got.

"I am glad to have known you, because I fear, when we arrive at our destination, I will be dealt with accordingly for my actions." He spoke his head lowering as he thought of his apparent death.

"Stick you head up!" These words startled the young Redguard, who did so out of instinct. Urzob's muscular torso rose and fell with his heavy breathing, his mind pondering on the next things he were to say.

"Young Damos, you have shown courage, you certainly have the heart of a sabercat. Not just the heart, you also show the same prowess of battle as an accomplished and experienced warrior which is unheard of in one of such a young age. These things are rare in one as young as you, this is why I will stand by you as your right-hand man. I will protect you with my life, and I will always do so as long as you need me!" Urzob would declare, his hand shooting out as far as it could with his shackles.

Damos, still not knowing what to say, clasped his shackled hand with Urzob's, both of them squeezing hard as they both knew that the other always had the others back. "Thank you Urzob, I appreciate it so very much, I just hope that your promise can be kept." Damos finished before they settled back down to talk some more.

Several hours later, Damos found himself alone, Urzob now among the sleeping as the sun finally began to set. It had been a pretty rough day, and Damos welcomed sleep when it began to creep up on him. As his eyes closed, he was jerked awake by that same voice from before who spoke to him.

_Good, my child, you have inspired a sense of faith in these people, even with their grim looking future. No doubt you will give them much more to look forward to. _The voice praised the young one.

Smiling he looked up, as if speaking to someone who was much taller than him. "I thank you very much, kind spirit. I just have one humble request though, you watch over me, but how may I feel comfortable with this if I don't know the name of the person who does this?" He asked with a frown.

The voice began to calm him with answers that were informative but not entirely what he was looking for.

_I have already given you the clues for this, my child. You know that I speak when the sun rises, and when the sun retreats. When you put the clues I have given you together you shall know who will always watch over you, my child. Now be still and sleep. _The voice soothed, its longing tone sending the young one into sleep's clutches.

"Dusk, and dawn." Were the last words Damos said before he slipped into slumber. During his slumber, the voice's owner finally appeared to the young boy, even though he didn't know it. The beautiful woman gently caressed his cheek before softly kissing his brow. She would rise, smiling and looking down at the young one who's destiny would change the world. She sighed with content before disappearing.

_Damos, my child, know that I watch over you always._ She spoke before her form disappeared into the night and then all was quiet.


	3. The City of Tirenus

Chapter 3

The City of Tirenus

The next seven days of the caravan's journey were rushed, since the slavers had promised their arrival days earlier. The heat of the sun beamed down hard in the day, and the cool desert air chilled during the night. For the slaves, these conditions were to much to bear for some, and soon the population of slaves began to dwindle. The slavers would panic with this, since their salary would fall as the slaves grew thinner and thinner. So the caravan was on a strict schedule, stopping for nothing.

Damos was growing weaker and weaker with every passing day, and the small Redguard was using every ounce of his strength to keep himself warm during the chilly night. His father had been gone for seven days now, and the young man's expectations of their destination frightened him, even though he tried not to admit it.

"You seem distraught, my young friend." Urzob the Orc spoke from his place opposite of Damos. He and the Orc had become closer than they were before and the Redguard now trusted the Orc with his life.

"I am just kinda worried about the place they speak of, where they are taking us. I mean why should we be looking forward to it, like Al Tufayl said?" He asked with a smirk.

"Maybe it is a place where we will be given a chance to survive, they may at least have a little ounce of respect for our lives, Malacath allow it." Urzob often quoted his deity, even though Damos had heard that this "Daedric Prince" was very evil.

The two of them were then silent, Urzob now drifting into a sleep, leaving Damos to ponder on their conversation and his thoughts. Whatever the slavers had planned for them was sure to be horrible, he knew. They showed no remorse for their actions against the people they enslaved, and only seemed to be driven by the money they would surely receive.

Damos sighed before he tried to go to sleep, his weak state preventing him from being comfortable, but as he tried to sleep, a relaxing feeling fell over him and he found himself sleeping peacefully with dreams of his family, before their horrible fate.

As he slept, his guardian appeared once more, her sweet smile invisible to the Redguard as he slept. She cupped his cheek, speaking to him regardless if he heard or not.

_I do hope you will be great in the trials before you, my child. If you do, your name will go down in history. _The woman would kiss his brow again before she disappeared, leaving the slaves to rest for the coming day,

Damos was jerked awake as he was pulled from his cart, Urzob and the other slaves that filled it being shackled to a rope that placed them in a line following each other. The rope, which ran between their legs, was used for order and to prevent escape. Collars were locked around their necks and connected to the shackles that bound their legs and their arms as well.

Struggling in the arms of the slavers, Damos was secured in front of Urzob and behind another slave, a woman. Looking around, Damos could see all the slaves that had survived the horrible journey through the Alik'r, and he was confused when he saw that they were in the middle of nowhere. Nothing stood near them except for the winding sand dunes and a dead bush or two. Al Tufayl and his slavers all stood looking in the direction of the slaves, the slaver leader's red clothing more vibrant than ever as he glowed with happiness.

"Welcome to your destination, as you can see nothing stands before you but me and my associates, but do not fret, all is not what it seems!" He clapped his hands and laughed as the slaves stood rigid with confusion.

"There's nothing here, you bastard!" A slave yelled from a distance away from Damos and the slaves all started to yell and curse the slavers and their leader. Al Tufayl not taking kindly to this, drew his scimitar, the familiar blade still stained with the blood of the fallen slaves, and of Damos' father.

"I will have order!" Yelled Al Tufayl, the Redguard's eyes red with anger at the audacity of the slaves that they would actually interrupt him.

"You may think me and my associates fools for bringing you into the heart of the Alik'r for nothing, but we have not finished our journey." He finished before turning around, facing lone pillar of sandstone. The red rock looked unnatural, though Damos, and he soon found out why it was alone in this place.

As Al Tufayl inched closer, his blood-stained scimitar glowed a little, the closer he got it glowed more and more. The sound of the sword vibrating filled the air and the slaves cringed in pain, Al Tufayl not even flinching as he finally stood inches from the pillar. The sound was now a solid ring and the sword was shining brightly, even with the blood that stained it. Shouting loudly, Al Tufayl drew the scimitar back, burying the blade into the rock until the entire pillar shook just like the blade. Stepping back, Al Tufayl and the rest of the slavers looked on with the slaves as the tall pillar broke away to reveal a small black stone slab, teal markings were scratched into the beautiful looking rock.

"You see, this is a weystone. It has many uses, but one of them is transportation. And that is exactly which property of this weystone we will use! Now bring the first group!" Al Tufayl ordered as his slavers saluted him before grabbing a chained line of slaves. Damos watched as the slavers were led forward, accompanied by two slavers each until they were close to Al Tufayl and the weystone. Before long, the group was warped from their by a strong surge of blue energy before they disappeared all together.

Slaves gasped and shouted out at the magic of the weystone, and the slavers continued with leading lines of slaves into the transport area. Al Tufayl worked the weystone, using his scimitar as a focus to trigger the transportation.

"I don't trust this, I think he is leading us to our death, how would we know if he is just tearing our bodies apart with that thing, or transporting us somewhere we will surely die!?" Damos spoke frantically as their line of slaves were the last to go.

"I do not think that will happen, he is sending slavers with them, he wouldn't kill his own men, at least I don't think he would." Urzob comforted the boy before they stood before Al Tufayl and the weystone. The Redguard slaver smiled at Damos, his scimitar now licking the neck of the young boy as he spoke.

"Don't think I haven't forgotten about you, little one. As soon as we arrive, you will know to never cross me, or you will surely beg for you death!" With that, Al Tufayl removed his blade from the neck of the young Redguard, before placing it over the weystone and transporting the line of slavers, the slavers accompanying them, and himself to their destination.

A few seconds later, Damos gasped in amazement. The weystone had transported them to another, a small tunnel underground. He, Urzob, and the other slaves were lead by the slavers and Al Tufayl as they walked the dark and winding tunnel. Damos felt uncomfortable and claustrophobic as the tunnel got smaller and smaller, so he knew Urzob was on edge. But before it could get any closer, Damos could see a light at the end of the tunnel. It gave hope to him, and it must have given it to the other slaves, because they all sped up, trying to escape the tight tunnel. Before long they exited the tunnel through the hole which opened up into a giant chasm.

Damos gasped in amazement. The underground cavern was easily as big as the island of Stros M'Kai, and judging by the way he could only see black when he looked up, very tall. But he didn't ponder the size of the cavern for long, once he saw the underground city. For as far as he could see, there were stone structures, buildings, homes, shops, and a multitude of other things. Basically everything was built from the resources found underground. There were roads of sandstone, braziers of granite, and fountains of marble. Farther outside the city, small villages were placed, with large houses posted on high formations of earth. In the center of the city was a large tower made of black granite, and the top was adorned with a burning pyre that glowed the ominous green that was signature with the slavers.

"Welcome to Tirenus, Underground City of Gladiators!" Al Tufayl presented the city mockingly like he was a tour guide to the awestruck slaves. The people who inhabited Tirenus were of all races, from Nord to Redguard. Damos was jerked ahead along with the other slaves as they were leaded through the streets of Tirenus. What got the young Redguard angry, was that no one seemed to care for the bound slaves, no tried to help them, no even offered a glance. They were just a normal thing in this city, the slaves didn't know.

As they passed the Granite Tower, Damos saw that they were being led to a stage of somewhat, the wooden platform holding a multitude of slaves, bound and shackled just like him. Below them, hundreds of rich looking natives to Tirenus shouted things that Damos didn't really understand until he got closer.

A Imperial stood towards the front of the stage, his fat body dressed in the finest clothes Damos had ever seen. He shouted towards the slaves and a large male Nord stepped forward, grabbing one of the slaves standing in line. The female Imperial looked at the crowd who admired her figure, noticing her wide hips and voluptuous form. She was rather beautiful, Damos thought, but he couldn't admire because the expectant buyers jeered and teased at her as they bid for her.

"Oh look at those hips! I bet she is a monster in bed! One hundred coins!" A dirty looking man spoke from the crowd.

"Oh no you don't, One hundred fifty! I won't let such a good looking girl go to waste, she will be wonderful for breeding!" Another voice sounded from the crowd.

The Imperial flinched as she was bid for, the prices finally stopping at three hundred coins. The large Nord grabbed her by the arm before leading her off the stage, the woman struggling in his arms as she tried to resist his grip.

Damos felt sick to his stomach. They just bid for her, someone just bought her! How could someone be so cruel, to sell a human life. Damos thought these things as he, Urzob and the other slaves were lead onto the stage as well, being the last to arrive they watched as slaves were sold left and right. Men, women, children, even infants were bought. Husbands were separated from their wives, children from their mothers, it didn't matter. Whoever was the highest bidder was the judge of life for whoever they bought.

Damos' line finally came forward, the young boy looked at Urzob, who looked back at Damos. The look in both their eyes showed that they didn't want to be separated, but it seemed like it would happen. The Imperial in the fine clothes was talking before he shouted once more to the Nord, who stepped forward and grabbed Urzob. The Orc was larger than the man, and would probably be much stronger, but his poor condition restricted him from doing to much to handle.

The fat Imperial would pace back and forth inspecting Urzob, judging if he was fit to be sold. Deciding that the Orc was in good enough condition, he smiled and walked back to the front of the stage before speaking loudly to the crowd.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, what I have for you now is a fine Orc specimen. He is in the prime of his life! You can expect a hard worker from him, he could certainty be used for breeding, his offspring would be strong and capable of work at a young age. He has the makings of a Gladiator, if you so desire! Just bid the right amount and he is yours for the taking!" The Imperial finished before the people in the crowd started betting.

Urzob roared in anger as the bidders bet higher and higher for him. He struggled as best he could, his muscle and sinew showing through his skin as he flexed, trying to break the iron shackles and collar he wore. They were now silent as he struggled, but then they roared, making their bids higher.

"I have to have him for my farm! Five hundred coins!" One able looking man spoke, everyone looked at him, the amount was well over the usual for a slave and he was unmatched with a bid.

"Good! Five hundred going once! Five hundred going twice...!" The fat Imperial spoke before he was interrupted.

"One thousand coins!" A man dressed in fine clothing in the back spoke clearly. The people turned around and looked at him in awe. The fat Imperial stared and stammered at the amount.

"Uh...uh...sold for one thousand coins!" He roared and the man nodded. Urzob stopped his roaring and struggling, looking down in sadness at being sold to someone. Before he was led away by the Nord, he looked towards Damos, his terrifying face full of sorrow.

"Urzob! Don't let them take you!" Damos shouted as he moved forward, the people gasping at the sound of the boy.

"How dare you speak out of line!" The fat Imperial shouted back at him as he beat the young one down with a club he seemed to pull out of nowhere.

"Don't you hurt him!" Shouted Urzob who found some hidden amount of strength, wrestling form the Nord before he charged at the Imperial who looked up from beating Damos before he screamed in terror. Urzob would roar before he rammed into the Imperial, who was thrown from the stage.

The Nord grabbed Urzob by his collar, choking him and pulling him back before putting him into a headlock. The Imperial who landed on his back in the crowd, struggled to find his breath as he looked at Urzob and Damos.

"I want both of them killed now!" He shouted before the Nord started to grab Damos as well. The two slaves would look at each other before they shouted and struggled with the Nord.

"Stop this nonsense!" The man who had purchased Urzob spoke, walking forward to calm the fat Imperial, placing a hand on the angry one's shoulder. He would help the man up before talking to the Orc as an equal.

"What is your relation to this boy?" He asked calmly to the straining Urzob who was released by the Nord.

"I am nothing to this boy besides a protector. His father was killed by the swine who captured us, and I vowed to protect him that day, and I plan to keep that promise until the day I die!" Urzob roared before he rose to his feet, his muscles flexing.

"I see..." The man would nod before turning to the fat Imperial.

"How much would you like for the boy? I do not plan on separating such a strong bond between friends." He spoke to the amazement of everyone present.

As he looked at the man, the Imperial would turn to Damos, glaring at him before he spoke.

"I would gladly give him to you, I have no other use for him." The man said emptily before brushing himself off and walking away, the strong Nord following him.

Damos would look at Urzob who helped him up. The young Redguard could not contain himself and hugged the strong Orc to the best of his ability with the chains binding him. The man would signal for them to follow, the two of them the only slaves he purchased that day.

"I admire your relationship, the idea of a friendship born from the similarity of being bound in chains, just poetry." The man spoke as the two of them followed in confusion. They had never walked so freely, even though they still wore the shackles and collars.

"Excuse me sir, but I don't understand, why were we sold? What do you plan to do with us?" Damos asked looking up at the man who was walking ahead of them.

"Well let me tell you. Do you see that large building towards the back of the city?" He pointed towards the building, it was the biggest structure in Tirenus, and loud sounds could be heard from it. It sounded like a crowd of people were watching a show, because everyone inside seemed to cheer and boo.

"You see, that is the Arena, Alik'r Arena to be precise. There, gladiators are pitted against each other in a battle to the death. Whoever wins gains the recognition they deserve for surviving. I am a trainer of gladiators, well I oversee it. My family has been apart of it since the beginning of Alik'r Arena, and many legendary gladiators have been trained by my family. I aim to train you as a gladiator." He now turned towards Urzob, who had stopped when he heard this. Damos looked at the two of them as they seemed to stare at each other for eternity.

"Well, what am I to do?" Damos asked as he looked at the man now, his small body weak and skinny. The man would look at him and smile, laughing at the idea of the young boy fighting in the Arena.

"You will be a house slave, until you are old enough. Then, you may be able to compete in the Arena with your friend here, if both of you survive by then. I surely hope you two do, because that would be a sight to see. Long time friends fighting alongside each other in the Arena, it would be glorious!" He shouted before he chuckled.

"I get ahead of myself, let us be on our way, I have business to attend to in the Cyrodiil." The man spoke before turning and continuing his pace. The two friends would look confused before they continued with their questions.

"If you have business in Cyrodiil, how will you train the gladiators?" Urzob spoke the man answering without looking at them or slowing down.

"I do not really train them, another experienced slave who has retired from being a gladiator teaches them, what I do is I present them at the Arena, and I look over the actual training of them. But I do not even do that, my son, Onaeus, runs the actual home. He lives there with his wife, Issatia. We are proud Imperial people, as you will soon see. Oh and let me introduce myself, I am Tylisseus Onaeus Demetos." Tylisseus bowed before continuing on. The two friends shrugged before they followed.

The day was winding down, and as they continued on the two friends along with Tylisseus were walking outside of the city. The gate keepers greeted him like they knew him, he probably lived outside the city in one of the villages, Damos thought as they walked the winding dirt path to the village. People greeted the man over and over, commenting on his new "items" and congratulating him. Damos still hated the fact he was given away. If he were to be sold, would he feel better, he thought but he pushed it aside as he saw them walking toward a very large home on top of one of the stony formations.

"Welcome to my home." Tylisseus spoke as they reached the top of the stone hill. The house was made of the finest white stone that Damos couldn't identify, the gates were metal, which was probably scarce down here, he thought and they opened as they neared them. As they opened, Damos was awestruck by the sight of many men training away, using wooden sword against each other as they trained. Others lifted large slabs of stone on their back as if to weight train. More banged their swords against wooden posts that stuck out from the rough dirt ground.

"The Master is back!" A man yelled and they all ceased turning to him before they all nodded their respect. Damos would look over the crowd of men, they were all very capable. Strong and muscular, many were as big as Urzob, but most were smaller, though that didn't mean they couldn't kill someone easily.

Tylisseus, Urzob, and Damos all stopped, the two friends looking at the Imperial before he spoke. "Onaeus has you all training into the night again doesn't he?" He asked, the gladiators nodding before they all heard a loud shouting.

"I thought I said I wanted to hear the beating of wooden swords until my ears grew tired of hearing them! Do I have to have you all punished!" Yelled a man. Looking up to the balcony looking over the slaves, a skinny looking man came forward, looking down at the slaves before following their eyes.

"Father! You have returned from Cyrodiil!?" Onaeus asked as he looked at the three newcomers. This man, Damos already knew, wasn't like his father.

"Yes, I must return soon however, more business arose while I was on my way here, I'm afraid." He spoke before walking closer to his son.

"What have you got with you this time?" Onaeus asked before he motioned towards the two slaves, Urzob and Damos flinching at the harshness of the question.

"These two are some slaves that I purchased while I was in the city. The Orc has the makings a fine gladiator. The boy would make a good gladiator as well, when he is of age, I mean. Until then, I suspect he could be a house slave for you?" Tylisseus spoke calmly to his son.

Grumbling to himself, even though it was heard by all, Onaeus would walk back into his home. About a minute later, the skinny man walked out onto the yard. He would look the two friends over before nodding.

"I will find use for the boy, and the Orc will start his training tomorrow. Is that fine with you?" He asked Urzob mockingly, craning his neck as if to challenge the Orc.

Urzob growled before he was calmed by Damos, who held his hand reassuringly. The Orc sighed before looking the skinny man over his strong body submitting to the man.

"That is fine, Onaeus." He spoke before he was harshly struck by Onaeus, the skinny man pointing his finger and poking the Orc as he spoke.

"You both will address me as Master at all times, is that understood?" The Imperial spoke before turning away from them, his father sighing as Urzob struggled to control himself.

Damos seethed in anger as he watched the Imperial walk away. He was definitely on his high horse, and someone needed to knock him down. As Damos thought, his shackles and collar were unlocked and thrown away by Tylisseus. Afterward, he removed Urzob's too.

"You two are property of the Demetos House now, you should be proud. You are now free to socialize, I must get ready for my second departure to Cyrodiil." Tylisseus spoke before he nodded his goodbye. He would walk after his son, the older Imperial nodding other gladiators before he disappeared inside the house.

"I'm going to kill him! How dare he! I will never call him Master!" Urzob shouted as he let loose all his anger at once. The gladiators would continue with their training before one would jeer at the two of them.

"I see that the two outsiders are use to the kindness of Master Tylisseus, you will certainly see the real side of the House of Demetos." Urzob still angry would rise and shout his challenge towards the speaker. The man who stepped forward was Nord, the strong looking man had owned up to his action and was not scared of the Orc.

"What will you do about what I say Orc? I have killed many a Orc, most much fiercer than you!" The other gladiators would laugh at their comrade confronting the Orc.

"Urzob you are weak, I know that you can defeat him easily, but we are not strong. The time we have been captured has weakened both of us, please do not start this fight." Damos pleaded as he tugged on Urzob's trousers. The Orc sighed before turning away from the Nord and the jeering gladiators. The Nord would laugh before shouting back at them.

"Don't worry men, this Orc will never be a gladiator! With this little bitch telling him what to do all the time!" The Nord would laugh, not knowing that he had pushed the Orc over the edge. Urzob would grab the Nord's neck, as he easily lifted the full grown man off his feet and into the air, before slamming him hard on his back before the Orc placed his foot over the neck of the struggling man. As his breath left his body, the Nord grabbed at Urzob's foot trying to loose it from his neck. Urzob growled before speaking clearly to the other gladiators, who stood silenced.

"I guess that has shown all of you that I will not have my friend harassed! Damos has more heart than all of you put together. So I will not allow him to be harmed by anyone, is that understood!?" He would nod at the silence before lifting his foot from the neck of the Nord. He nodded to Damos before stooping and speaking privately to the young Redguard.

"I will start my training now, little one. Go inside and see your duties, I will see you later okay?" He spoke before smiling to the young boy, who smiled back.

"Thank you Urzob, I know that you will be a great gladiator!" He assured the Orc before nodding his goodbye. The young Redguard would walk inside, leaving the Orc who looked at him walk away, happy that he didn't have to suffer the fate of himself and the other gladiators just yet.

As Damos walked through the house, he was alone for some time. But before he could call for anyone, he was greeted by beautiful woman who was dressed in a long purple dress. Her hair was the color of blood and she looked at him like he was a baby.

"Oh my goodness! You are so cute, what is your name little one?" She asked as she stooped to his level and smiled at him.

"I am Damos, I was instructed to be a house slave for Master Onaeus." The word "master" was bitter on his tongue and the woman would smile at him before speaking energetically.

"Oh wonderful! My names is Issatia, and it is nice to have such a cute one as a house slave. Follow me, Damos." She would speak before she clapped her hands. Two women seemed to appear from nowhere as they spoke in unison.

"What would you like Mistress?" They spoke before Issatia instructed for them to lead the new one to his chambers, and to instruct him on his duties. Damos would look at them before he was whisked away by the two women, who he later learned were her body slaves. As the dusk turned into night, Damos was showed his room, a bunk among many that were shared by a bountiful amount of house slaves. Damos would sigh as he nodded and thanked the house slaves for their greetings and acknowledgments. He would sit on his bed before he lay there, uncomfortable with the poorly made bed. As he turned his body, he was shocked to see the Imperial woman who had been sold to another man laying across from him, and looking straight back at him.

"Hello little, are you well, did they hurt you?" She asked, her warm smile making him feel much better in such a horrible place.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I saw you at the auction, you were bought by someone else, why are you here?" He asked his body rising to sit on the bed as they conversed.

She giggled, her beautiful face producing a bright white smile as she spoke to the young Redguard again,

"Well you see, I was to be sold to that man, but the Mistress of this house paid double the amount that he paid for me in exchange. I am now a house slave here, I guess you are to young one?" She asked sitting up herself.

"Yes, me and friend Urzob were purchased by the Master's father. Urzob is to be a gladiator, I am to be one as well, once I am old enough." He said looking at the ground, she would smile before speaking back reassuringly.

"Its okay, little one. You don't have to worry about a thing, you can always talk to me when Urzob is not available. My name is Sela, what is your name?" Sela asked as she cupped his cheek in her hand, the other slaves sleeping by now.

"I am Damos, and thank you for your offer, I will surely use it when I can." He smiled at her touch before he felt sleepy.

"Rest then Damos, you will be okay, we all will, don't worry." She smiled before she lay him down and tucked him in.

Damos would smile before he fell asleep. Sela smiled and fell asleep as well. The House of Demetos was now silent. Damos dreamed of his new friend, Sela, of Urzob. He dreamed of his father, his mother, his sister. He dreamed of his new life he would live in the House of Demetos and how it would play out and he slept well.

The voice woke Damos up from his slumber, as he rose out of his bed, he could hear the voice drifting as it seemed to move, guiding him somewhere else.

_Come, my child. I would look upon you with my eyes. _Damos nodded before he followed the voice, leading him through the large home. He was soon in the basement of the large house, his eyes now looking at a glowing ball that shifted into the form of a beautiful woman. Her presence was like the sun during the dawn, and the moon during twilight. He would gasped, the woman smiling at him as she walked towards him.

_Damos, your life has taken root in this home, and it will for quite a while, just know that I still watch over you, my child. _She would smile before he nodded in understanding.

"Thank you, but I have one request, please tell me your name, I have known you for so long, and I keep you close to my heart like I do Urzob, even Sela. What is your name?" The young one's curiosity getting the better of him finally. She would smile before she cupped his cheek and spoke.

_That is fine, my child. My name is Azura, Queen of Dawn and Dusk. I am a Daedric Prince, just like the being that your friend Urzob worships. Do not fear, I am not evil, I mean you no harm. Not all Princes are evil, as you will see soon enough. _With that, she nodded before holding her chest.

A bright light appeared from her body, the light was like a warm blanket and Damos found himself sleeping once again. What he didn't know was that he had never stopped sleeping, it was all a dream. Azura smiled as she looked down upon the boy. His neck now sported a necklace, the adornment a simple piece that was the moon surrounded by the flames of the sun. Damos slept silently as Azura kissed his brow like tradition, speaking afterward.

_I hope you are strong enough for the years to come, my child. But you are now accompanied by friends, friendships that will last you for a lifetime. _And with that Azura shifted into a bright ball of light, the Prince rising into the sky and filling it with stars.


	4. The Gladiator In Training

Chapter 4

The Gladiator In Training

The day was perfect for a trip to the games, and the House of Demetos was taking advantage of it. As the crowd roared, the head of the House of Demetos, Onaeus Alieus Demetos stood proudly his hand waving to the crowd as he settled them down to speak.

"Dear citizens of Tirenus, I have a treat for you today. My friend, and competitor, Antonius Aquilinius has already presented his greatest gladiator for combat against one of mine. So why shouldn't I give mine?" The roar of the crowd signified they already knew who his greatest gladiator was, and he smiled with pleasure.

"Then let me present him then. I give you, the Hammer of Might, Urzob!" As he roared the name, the gate opposite of Antonius' gladiator rose, the black abyss behind it spawned a large Orc, face covered in bright red warpaint. Urzob roared his greeting to the crowd, who shouted his name over and over as he flexed and shouted. The Orc had been undefeated in his time at the House of Demetos, and he wasn't going to stop today.

He now wore the attire of a skilled gladiator, his arms were covered in the leather manica that was signature for gladiators. He wore a pair of greaves, made of leather and reinforced with copper, his legs covered with strong leather as well. The only part of his green muscular body that was bare was his chest and midsection. To finish his outfit, the Orc was armed with a large sledgehammer, the pole made of strong wood with the actual hammer made of dark iron, and secured with leather strips. He was a force to be reckoned with.

"Now let the games begin!" Shouted Onaeus and the gladiators set upon each other.

Urzob's opponent was reluctant at first at the menacing looking Orc and he was still for a moment, the Orc smiling at him with his sledgehammer resting on his shoulders.

"I see you are scared to make the first move, let me make it for you then!" Urzob roared before he brandished the hammer in one hand. Running full speed at the other, Urzob raised his sledgehammer, bringing it down hard upon the wooden shield of the opponent, who was sent sprawling back. The crowd roared with the impact and did so with each one that followed suit afterward. Urzob banged his hammer down relentlessly on the small shield and the opponent could only sit and watch as his shield and arm were battered over and over.

Making quick movements, the other gladiator would shift to the right, narrowly missing the hammer's blow to his head. He would rise before brandishing his own sword, his shield now useless. As he charged the Orc, Urzob smiled and blocked the easily read move with the long handle of his hammer. The opponent slashed over and over but could not make a single connection and was soon sprawled out on the ground of the Arena as the Orc hit him squarely over the head with his sledgehammer, the only thing saving the other gladiator was his helmet, which was now broken and discarded lengths away.

Urzob stood over the man, placing his heavy foot on the chest of the shaking gladiator. Now looking, Urzob could see that this man was a Breton, not suited for combat at all, even though he was Antonius' best fighter, he had been no match against the Hammer of Might.

"You have fought bravely, friend. And today your life is in the hands of my Master, Onaeus Alieus Demetos, pray he let's you live." He talked down to the man before he looked up to Onaeus, who was smiling at Antonius Aquilinius, who was seething in anger at the poor show his gladiator had given.

The Imperial and head of the House of Demetos rose from his seat and stood on the edge of the balcony looking over the Arena, he held out his hand, his thumb pointing sideways. The crowd who had been roaring with excitement was now silent to the verdict, roaring again as they saw that Onaeus had given the thumbs down, the sign for Urzob to finish the man off.

The Breton was now pleading with the Orc to allow him to live, but Urzob was content in following orders, even though he despised Onaeus since the day he was bought by his father. Raising his hammer, he spoke a few kind words to Malacath before he roared. The last thing that the Breton saw was the heavy sledgehammer of Urzob, the Hammer of Might, racing towards his face, and then all was red.

The gates of the House of Demetos opened with the loud roaring of the gladiators as they arrived from their victories at the Arena. Urzob stood in front wielding his blood-stained hammer. The other gladiators who had not gone were in the yard training and all the slaves who were inside had walked out to greet the returning party. Onaeus was shouting to all who would listen telling of the swift job Urzob made of his opponent, and of this crowd was the Redguard, Damos.

"Eleven years! Eleven years Urzob has been with us, fighting in the Arena. Today he has set the bar for many, claiming his thousandth life today. He is by far, the greatest gladiator from the House of Demetos! My father would have been very proud of you Urzob, Gods rest his soul. But let us celebrate! Issatia, have the slaves prepare our home for festivities, many of our peers arrive tonight for them!" The Imperial finished with the a hefty pat on the back to Urzob, before he disappeared into the house. Damos walked quietly over to Urzob, who walked to his quarters, which were away from all the other gladiators, since he was their champion.

"Urzob, congratulations on your victory!" The Redguard spoke with pride for his friend, they had spent eleven years together, suffering the hardships of the House of Demetos. Damos, now on his twentieth year, was almost as tall as Urzob, and he kept his long hair in dreadlocks that were tied into a ponytail behind his head. He sported a lean figure and wore only the loincloth that was allowed.

"Thank you, but I do not deserve them. There should be no joy in taking lives, and certainly not a thousand of them, Damos." Urzob sat on a bench, his large body sighing in sorrow.

"I do not see why you fret, I cannot wait to enter the Arena! I am of age now, I have been waiting for eleven years! You shouldn't be sad for taking the lives you have, they surely would have taken yours if you had not fought." Damos comforted him before they were joined by Sela. The Imperial had not changed much in the eleven years that had passed, she still was stunningly beautiful. Although she and Urzob had fallen in love soon after they met. They were now husband and wife, Onaeus had allowed them to be wed since Urzob was such a marvelous fighter, and Sela, a loyal house slave.

The odd couple kissed and Damos sighed before he picked up one of the wooden swords that the gladiators used to train with. Twirling it in his hands he would start to bang at the wooden pole in front of him, taking a few chips out before he continued their conversation.

"You think Demetos would allow me to start my gladiator training soon? I would love to get in the Arena as soon as possible!" The Redguard stated, his warrior blood boiling in anticipation for battle.

"You are still young Damos, I don't think it would be wise for you to fight, you know I promised to keep you safe all those eleven years ago when your father was killed." Urzob pleaded.

"I know, I know, but Urzob please, all you have to do is ask Demetos, that's it. He won't care, he doesn't care about any of us! So why should he care if one of his many house slaves becomes a gladiator, I am supposed to become one anyway!" He shouted back at the Orc, Sela sighing at the two's bickering.

Urzob was mad, wrestling from Sela's grasp he walked over and grabbed one of the wooden swords. Facing Damos he took a stance and growled.

"You think you are ready!? Face me then, choose the style you wish to learn and attack me!" Urzob would roar at the Redguard who was now shaking with fear. Sela rose trying to stop the Orc but was unsuccessful when she tried this.

The roar of the Orc had alerted some of the other gladiators and they now looked on as the young Redguard picked up a sword. Damos took a stance similar to Urzob's, since he knew no other, then charged. Urzob easily read the sweeping arc of the Damos' sword and dropped close to the ground to dodge, before sweeping his leg to trip the boy. Damos fell square on his back, all the air in his lungs escaping.

"If you fall you die." Urzob stated before waiting for Damos to stand and angrily attack once more. Now jabbing the wooden sword, Damos wouldn't give away his movements, but Urzob grabbed his wrist on one of the attacks, pulling Damos forward until he was inches away from the Orc. Before the Redguard could do anything, Urzob had kneed him and thrown him to the ground once more.

"If your angry, you lose sight of your actions, and give away openings for you opponent." Urzob said sternly, Sela and the other gladiators looking on with amazement at the skill of the Orc, and the motivation of the Redguard. Damos crawled away from the Orc, trying to escape the pain he was in. Urzob scoffed before walking slowly after the Redguard.

"Never ever turn your back on your opponent!" Urzob stated before he watched the young man stand to his feet once more. Urzob sighed before he went on the attack. All Damos could do was watch as his sword was knocked from his hands, before Urzob kicked him heftily in the chest. Damos lay sprawled out in the sand, the Orc standing over him.

"I hope you have seen why I do not want you to become a gladiator yet, you have no idea what being one is. It is not about the roar of the crowd, it is about staying alive, staying alive to come back home to your friends and loved ones." Urzob spoke before he dropped the sword next to Damos. The young Redguard sat up looking at the champion walk to his wife who was shaking her head. The gladiators had seen all they wanted and were starting to turn away.

_If this is all you got, maybe you shouldn't be a gladiator after all, my child. _The familiar voice sounded in his head. Azura had never left the Redguard's side since he was captured all those years ago, and now he felt the cool feeling of her necklace against his chest. It had never left his neck since the day he woke up wearing it. Grabbing Urzob's discarded sword, Damos rose to his feet. Struggling to the one he had lost, Damos now held both swords, one in each hand.

"Damos please stop this nonsense, you won't become a gladiator if you are killed before you can train!" Sela screamed, Urzob turning around and growling when he saw the Redguard with two swords.

"And now you think that you can handle two swords!? Only experienced gladiators take to that style, not even I am experienced enough to use that yet!" He roared before picking up his sledgehammer. Sela pleaded with him not to use his real weapon but the Orc did not listen. He breathed hard as he ran towards the Redguard.

"If your angry you lose sight of your actions!" Damos said before he ran towards the Orc as well. Urzob spun, his hammer swinging with his body as he swung the hammer horizontally. Damos saw the opening and fell to his knees, sliding on them under the hammer's length before he rose behind Urzob. But before the Orc could react to this, the wooden swords were crossed at his neck, Damos smiling as he spoke.

"Never turn your back on your enemy." Sela gasped as Damos stepped back, taking a stance with his twin swords before Urzob turned around. The Orc had only seen the style twice, but Damos held the stance perfectly. All the champion could do was laugh and smile before he took his stance as well.

"Well then, show me wrong why don't you, come at me then!" He roared before Damos ran towards him. The two of them were locked in battle and they were going to be doing so for a while, because Onaeus had seen the whole thing from his balcony.

Damos was called from his duties during the party that night as he was escorted to his Master. Onaeus Demetos was laughing and joking around with some other high classed Imperials that also lived in Tirenus. The Imperial was well beyond drunk and he greeted the Redguard when he walked through the curtains.

"Ah, young Damos. My friends, this young house slave was purchased along with Urzob eleven years ago by my father. Urzob, as we all know, is one of the greatest gladiators of all time, faced this young man to prove that he shouldn't become a gladiator. He did however, show that he is quite skilled in the Twin Swords style. How, young Damos, did you acquire the skill to wield such a complicated style so well?" The Imperial asked, all of the eyes posted on the slave who was nervous as he explained.

"Well Master...you see, I learn best by demonstration, you must know. And each time I accompanied you to Alik'r Arena, the Twin Swords style was used. I admit, I am very perplexed with it, how it uses the swords for both offense and defense, so I watched carefully..." He was silenced by Onaeus with his finger.

"So your telling me, you learned the style by just watching closely?" The drunk Imperial asked, a cup splashing wine on the ground as Onaeus held it.

"Yes Master, I know it sounds unbelievable but, that's just how I am." He was scared because Onaeus, unlike his father, was big on severe punishment of the slaves. Tylisseus usually had the slaves strapped down for a day or so, but Onaeus always thought of new, creative ways to do so.

"Well, I think we have a new gladiator for the House of Demetos, don't we gentlemen?" He asked the other rich men who all nodded and grunted in agreement. Damos was surprised before he nodded his thanks.

"Thank you very much Master, I won't disappoint you!" Damos promised his Master, the man not taking not of the young one's joy.

"Now Urzob will be in charge of your training, I will inform him of that, but for now, continue your house slave duties, tomorrow you will start gladiator training, is this understood?" Damos nodded and with that Onaeus shooed him off to continue reveling with his friends.

Damos ran as fast as he could, dodging rich men and slaves all together as he ran towards Urzob's room, the Orc was resting from his long day, starting with his fight in Alik'r Arena, followed by his training fight with Damos, then the relations he had with his wife Sela. He now was sleeping, Sela in his arms as the young man thrust through the door into the Orc's private room.

"Sela, Urzob, I am to begin my gladiator training tomorrow!" He shouted at them, the couple waking up reluctantly. Sela would grab her tattered blue dress that the female house slaves wore. Covering herself, the Imperial would rise and hug the Redguard.

"Congratulations Damos, I guess Demetos saw your fight with Urzob?" She asked the young one nodding and talking all about what he and the Master had conversed about. Urzob grumbled when he heard that he would train the eager Damos, and he asked in confusion.

"Why am I to train you, I do not even know the Twin Sword style!? A Heavy Hammer gladiator teaching a new gladiator the Twin Sword style is absolutely foolish!" He shook his head before resting it in his hands, Sela sat next to her husband, caressing his back.

"Urzob, Demetos must think that you will be the perfect teacher for Damos obviously. I mean who better to teach him, you two are the closest friends I have ever seen. He only listens to you, and he learns very fast, just teach him the basics and I'm sure he can learn the style alone, am I right?" She asked Damos, the young man nodding at her question.

Urzob sighed, rising off his bed the muscular Orc wore nothing but his loincloth as he finally broke words.

"Fine Damos, we will begin tomorrow, but you two now have to help with the Master's party so get along now." Urzob kissed Sela passionately the two house slaves running along before Urzob sighed and sat back down. He had killed a thousand men in Alik'r Arena, but training Damos would be an entire thing by itself.

"Malacath help me through this." He prayed before he lay back down awaiting the next day.

"Again!" Roared Urzob as he stood, his sledgehammer resting on the floor as he looked at Damos, covered in sand.

The whole morning had been spent with the training of the new gladiator and Sela was right, he did learn fast. He had advanced past the wooden posts, and now he was only training with Urzob and his hammer. The boy showed the prowess in battle like he had done all those years ago when he killed his mother's killer.

Damos stood to his feet, having been thrown to the ground once more by the large Orc. He had gotten several blows but none of them would have been fatal if the fight were real. His lean body was bruised with the blows from Urzob's hammer, and it ached, although he ignored it. One of his swords had been knocked from his hands, and Urzob stooped to pick it up before switching weapons.

"I will train you to first hold a sword, since you can't seem to keep hold of them. Know this Damos, if you drop your swords you are defenseless, meaning you die, unless you somehow get them back, which is unlikely." Urzob went on before he held the wooden sword out in front of him. He showed Damos how to hold it but the Redguard had difficulty.

"How could it be this hard!? I mean is it bad to hold it any other way?" He asked, backhanding his sword and slashing with it playfully.

"Stop! If you don't take this seriously you surely will die in the Arena. Now please just try and hold the sword right Damos." The Orc was growing tired of the young one's ignorance, although he was learning fast. After a few more tries, the boy was swinging the sword with no difficulty at all, his grip was solid and he even knew how to do it backhanded now. Urzob was impressed, and it was on to the next lesson.

"Now I want you to come at me, block and attack with that sword, think of it as sword and shield, and it will do both functions." Urzob instructed, and Damos charged him.

The Redguard spun, swinging his sword at the Orc's head, who blocked it easily before using his own to strike at Damos. Blocking quickly, Damos elbowed Urzob in the chin, sending the Orc tripping backwards. Damos took the opportunity to attack, but Urzob recovered as quickly as Damos had blocked the blow. He now stabbed with his sword back at the advancing Redguard but Damos had foreseen this move. He lifted his arm, grabbing the wooden sword and twisted, pulling the sword from Urzob's hands as the Orc fell to the ground.

Damos grabbed the second sword, fixing it in his solid grasp before he crossed them like an "x" placing Urzob's neck between the top opening before he would chuckle.

"If you fall you die." He then dropped the swords and helped the champion Orc up. The gladiators who had been watching the little duel smiled and cheered as Urzob and Damos both hugged each other. Urzob would look at Damos before chuckling and playfully punching the Redguard in the shoulder.

"I guess you killed me this time, but don't think that you will win the next one!" Urzob challenged, sticking his face into Damos' their foreheads butting together.

"Oh yeah!? Bring it on then!" Damos shouted back and the two of them picked up their weapons to continue their training, both of them getting better with their practice.

Sela sighed as she massaged her husband, the Orc covered in bruises and scratches from the past few days he and Damos had been training. The young Redguard got better every practice session, and now he trained with the other gladiators while Urzob rested.

"He is fit for the Arena already, my love." Sela whispered into his ears, the door of their room was opened as the two watched Damos spar with Bjork, the Nord who had challenged the Orc and Redguard when they first arrived. He had been the number one gladiator of the House of Demetos, well until Urzob arrived. He used the Sword and Shield gladiator style and the Nord used it during his training session with Damos.

"I know, he will be stronger than me one day, but he still has ideas of escaping this place, Sela. I don't want him to die, he will surely be killed if found out." Urzob sighed and watched the boy silently.

Dodging the bash of Bjork's shield, Damos side stepped to the right before attacking with both swords, connecting both of them into Bjork's left side. The Nord was surprised at the young one's skill even though he had only been training for a couple of days, yet he had learned much. Giving a battle cry, Bjork would raise his sword, giving a large opening for Damos to strike, and he did so, the twin swords thrusting into the Nord's gut.

"You little bastard!" Bjork shouted before he backed up, smiling the whole time. Damos had bested him three times and he was getting tired, even though the Redguard was still bouncing with energy.

"I can still fight, will you not continue?" Damos asked as Bjork shook his head, turning before dropping his sword and shield, the Nord sitting and taking a drink from the water keg.

"I will fight anyone who wants to try me!" Damos challenged all the gladiators, the more rowdy ones taking not, a particularly arrogant Imperial gladiator took his stance, he used the Long Spear style, his training weapon however was a long wooden pole. Damos paced around the Imperial, called Larius, was sneering and taunting the Redguard who stood solid with his swords hanging ready at his sides.

"I will wipe that smug look off your face!" Larius shouted, stabbing with his training spear. This was too easy for Damos however, and he sidestepped, bringing both his swords down on the wooden shaft, breaking it in two before he charged his opponent, now the attacker.

Damos connected his swords to everyone of Larius' vital areas before kicking him in the chest, just like Urzob had done with him before, the Imperial landing on his back before seething. Damos chuckled before turning, obviously done with Larius, this angering the other even more. Grabbing the now deadly broken spear, Larius charged, jabbing at Damos with the sharp, splintered end of the spear.

"Damos!" Urzob yelled from his room, seeing Larius charge at the young one from his room. Damos turned just in time to catch the spear's blow to his face. He roared in pain and fell backwards on his rear. Urzob stood ready to give Larius a thrashing but Damos stopped him.

"No Urzob, I want the pleasure of kicking his ass, so just make sure you take note of what I'm gonna do!" Damos shouted before he stood, the spear had given him a scar that ran from above his left eye to right below it, a single scratch that actually suited the young Redguard.

"Your gonna be sorry!" Damos yelled, running at the Imperial who dropped his spear in fear at the sight.

Damos knocked the broken spear from Larius' hand, the Redguard using his adrenaline rush to fuel his aching muscles and sore body. He landed two punches to the Imperial's face, before he fell backwards, kicking the stunned gladiator in the chin on his way down. Larius fell to ground and started to get the spear, but while he was on the ground, Damos rolled over it, forcing Larius to rise without any protection. As his opponent rose, so did the Redguard, Damos' swords were now pushing Larius back into one of the wooden posts used for training. Larius banged his head on the post hard, trying to escape the onslaught from the training swords as they broke his ribs, bruised his skin and battered his face. Only after Urzob told him to stop did Damos land his final blow, a double blow to the cheek, which knocked Larius out.

Standing over the unconscious body of Larius, Damos breathed hard from exhaustion before he turned around, staring square at Urzob and the rest of the gladiators before he spoke confidently.

"I think I'm ready for the Arena."


	5. The Birth of a Demon

Chapter 5

The Birth of a Demon

It had been two weeks since Damos declared he was ready for Alik'r Arena, and it was the day before he would make his first appearance. He had just eaten his dinner of oatmeal and dried fruit, and was settling down in his bed, now in the gladiator barracks. His bed was less comfortable than the one next to Sela inside the Demetos house, but he put his thoughts away as he fell into a deep sleep.

For a second, the feeling of sleep did overtake him, but Damos soon felt like he was awake, because he could see. It wasn't a dream, it was something different.

His eyes were suddenly filled with the beautiful image of a lush landscape. The sun and moon were twins in the sky, both filling the area with a spectrum of colors that were not all familiar to Damos. He smiled however, looking up, seeing what seemed like birds made of the brightest silver. He chuckled then knew where he was, even though it was his first time there.

"Azura! This is your realm, is it not!?" He asked, walking down the path that seemed to guide him into the beautiful expanse. He was carefree, forgetting about his first trip to Alik'r Arena tomorrow, or how he could die. He forgot all his cares in the world and then he was not alone.

He turned, now accompanied by the "birds" made of silver. He now saw that they were some of the most beautiful creatures he had ever seen. The faces and bodies of the most beautiful women you could ever think of, more beautiful than Sela even. They had no hands however, those were replaced by beautiful wings larger than their bodies.

"Hello Damos, we have been expecting you. Follow us, we shall take you to our Mistress." The finished before taking to the sky, guiding along the path towards a city made of complete silver.

Damos was astonished how fast they traveled, covering the long distance in only several minutes. Once they arrived, the Redguard experienced even more beauty of the realm.

The citizens of this silver city were also made of silver, and they were beautiful. They didn't acknowledge him, they just walked back and forth between the large silver buildings. He paid no attention to them however once he saw Azura's dwelling, The Rose Palace. He was awestruck and he couldn't stop looking at it, he only stopped once they were inside.

Azura sat on her thrown, the inside of the Rose Palace was strictly black, white, and silver, but it was still beautiful. The Daedric Prince smiled before she stood, embracing the Redguard before she spoke.

_Damos, my child. I am so worried, you have to be careful tomorrow. You cannot perish in the Arena. _She look straight into his eyes, his fear of the Arena was now much more vivid, why should she be worried of it, she was a Daedric Prince. His body started to tremble and Azura was saddened to see this, hugging him closer before she kissed his brow.

_Do not worry, my child. I have not called you here to worry you, but to give you an edge. _She smiled before she took the pendant she had given him so long ago, he was amazed when she whispered into her hands, the pendant turning into one of the silver harpy creatures. This is was beautiful as well as familiar, and once Damos realized who it was, he fell to his knees in disbelief and awe.

"Mother!?" The silver creature smiled, and Damos remembered everything that had happened to him once again, how the slavers had murdered the beautiful creature before when she was a mortal Redguard woman.

_She is one of my Winged Twilights, my child. You do not have to worry about her anymore, but about yourself. You mustn't perish tomorrow in the Arena, because I have a task for you. _Azura motioned for him to stand before a wave of her hand made a silver water basin appear in front of the Redguard. Damos walked closer to the small, looking into the small pool of water before an image of a much younger Onaeus appeared.

"I just don't know how we will ever pay the dues this month, we will be bankrupt by the next!" A voice rang opposite of the image, the figure speaking walked towards Onaeus, the speaker now revealed to be Tylisseus, Onaeus' father, and the one who purchased Urzob and Damos.

"All those bets on horrible gladiators, I thought I taught you better, apparently not! My own son, ruining his family's name in a matter of a year!" Tylisseus was very angry, the young Redguard had never seen so enraged. The disgruntled son only sat back in his chair, a sour look on his face as his father lectured him. Tylisseus sighed, taking a drink of his wine before looking through a bunch of papers, and scrolls.

"Father, if you would just listen, I have a solution for our dilemma." Onaeus rose, his hand snatching one of the papers from his frustrated father before it was slammed in front of the older Demetos, the Imperial now looking at the paper his son had presented in front of him.

"We cannot afford any slaves, you imbecile! If you had been paying attention and not ignoring my wisdom, we would not be in this situation." He roared before Onaeus interrupted.

"Look at it in another way, we usually buy slaves, what if we supplied them? I mean there are many towns and villages scattered throughout the Alik'r, what if we were to just pluck them from their homes?" Damos started to seethe in anger when he started to realize what was going on.

Tylisseus sipped his wine, backing up and pacing as he thought about it. He didn't like this, but he would not take to the streets as a beggar. He was a Demetos, the greatest gladiatorial family of Tirenus. He turned, a grim expression on his face as he spoke finally to his son.

"Fine. Give me a map." Onaeus chuckled, triumphant before he grabbed a map from the pile of papers, spreading it out on the table over the other parchments and papers before he started to point and show his father areas on the map. The image began to fade, and Damos' knees began to buckle as the last thing he saw was Onaeus' hand pointing at Skaven.

_My child, you know what you must do. These people have disgraced you, killed your family, and enslaved you. It is your duty to end the legacy of the House of Demetos. _Damos was now crying, but he turned towards Azura, nodding before she touched his brow. A bright light emanated from his body before he awoke in his bed. It was the day of his match and he was ready.

The roar of the crowd was loud as a fallen gladiator flew through the air, his chest had capsized and killed him instantly, after he received a deadly blow from Urzob's sledgehammer. The Orc's match was a triple threat, him facing three other gladiators, but it had been no trouble for him and he roared as he was claimed victorious.

Damos was silent for the entire match, sitting on a bench in the waiting area for upcoming gladiators. His head was facing the ground, thinking about the things he saw the previous night in Azura's realm. He hadn't told anyone yet, he would keep it a secret, until it was absolutely necessary. His lean body had built up in the small amount of time he had been training, his small body was now filled with muscle and sinew, and his dreadlocks were tied in a ponytail behind him as he heard his name. His left arm was suited in the leather manica of his style's attire, his legs covered in leather as well. He wore no helmet, he said he didn't need one.

Urzob had walked back in and was looking at the grim looking Redguard. Damos had been very quiet for the whole morning, it was probably just his fear of perishing but he had shown known in all the time he had been training.

"Are you okay Damos? Do not worry, you will be marvelous!" Urzob tried to cheer him up but was unsuccessful. Damos looked at him, a look in his eyes that filled the Orc with fear, something was terribly wrong, and he was startled when he heard the attendant call Damos for his match. The Redguard stood, nodding before he walked to the gate where he would walk out onto the sands for the first time.

"Good luck." Urzob said firmly, which Damos sighed to, his muscles relaxing in his tanned skin before he bowed his head, praying to Azura.

The crowd had dulled to a low buzz as the rival gladiator trainer, presented his fighter, a large Orc who used the Bearded Axe style, the Orc's large dark green frame was much larger than Damos, but he didn't really care. He would die just like the ones to precede them.

Onaeus stood, his fine green clothes sparkling for the material they were made of before he spoke to the crowd, his voice booming as he presented the new arrival.

"Today, my subjects, we have a new face to the Arena. He is a virgin upon its sands, yet he shows more skill at his level than anyone I have ever trained. Using the Twin Swords style, I present Damos, The Demon!" All gladiators were given a sort of nickname, and Damos was no different. As he walked out the gate, he did nothing extra, no cheering or roaring. He was silent, although he started at Onaeus intently. The Imperial looked back, noticing the crowd booed the newcomer like they always did, but he was transfixed with Damos. The Redguard had not even looked at his opponent yet, he just stared at Onaeus, the ladder sitting in fear.

"Hey! Redguard I'm over here!" The Orc shouted as he tried to get the others attention, Damos speaking quickly to him.

"I have no use for you, I will finish the match quickly so I may go back to the House of Demetos, I have business to attend to." Damos took his stance, finally facing the Orc who took his as well, seething with anger at the attitude of the Redguard.

"I will show you who your messing with then!" The Orc yelled before he charged, bringing his axe above his head before he let gravity take over as he swung the large weapon. The twin swords of Damos easily blocked the attack, before he started his attack. Damos slashed back and forth, easily past the Orc's poor defense, his swords finding their target most of the time. The crowd roared with the unexpected advantage that the Redguard had over the experienced Orc, who was unable to attack from blocking.

Taking a risk, the Orc thrust his weapon, the attack finding its target as it caught Damos in the chin. Falling to the ground, Damos looked up just in time to see the axe racing towards him, rolling to the side of avoid it. He flipped backwards back on his feet before he jumped to the right, the Orc now advancing on him. Slashing left and right, the Orc was laughing and jeering at the smaller gladiator.

Damos took the time he was dodging to rest, the onslaught he had put upon the Orc before had drained him of energy, resulting in him getting hit. Once he was far enough from the Orc, Damos stood, running towards the edge of the stadium. The crowd booed at the retreating newcomer, Urzob sighing at Damos as the Orc chased him.

"Where is all that fierceness you were showing before the match started!?" The Orc shouted as he grew closer to the other, even with this heavy axe, the ran faster than a Redguard. What he didn't know was that Damos had thought about his next attack. When the Orc was close enough, Damos put his plan into action.

He now put on the speed, making the Orc do the same as he tried to keep up with the retreating Redguard. Urzob saw what the young man was doing and smiled before cheering him on. The wall of the stadium was growing closer, as was the Orc as Damos jumped. He reached the top of the wall before he planted his feet, pushing them as he flipped over the Orc, slashing with both his swords as he flew over his opponent.

"Damn!" Screamed the Orc in pain, his back now sporting an bloody "X" administered by the newcomer. Now smiling, Damos told him to come at him, the Orc reacted angrily, the rule that gave away your moves, Damos noted. He easily dodged the rage driven attacks from the Orc before he twisted, swinging one of his swords as well before he was covered in blood.

"AAAAHHHHHH!" Yelled the Orc, his arm now detached from his body as he fell to his knees. Damos sighed in exhaustion as he looked down at the dying Orc, his life force pooling out along with his blood. The crowd roared and Onaeus rose in triumph, seeing that it was obviously over.

Damos swung his swords for show for a few before he walked back to the Orc, using one of his weapons to lift the drooping head of the Orc.

"Thank you for allowing me to win." Damos spoke before he spun once more, his sword splitting the tissue of the Orc's neck, blood spurting out as it sprayed the Redguard. The Orc's limp head, still attached to its body by most of the neck, fell along with the body before the crowd jumped and roared shouting out for Damos.

"Demon! Demon! Demon! Demon!" Damos dropped his swords before he fell to his knees, roaring at his victory. Grabbing his swords again, he stood raising them into the air as he roared along with the crowd. Men screamed his name, women screamed that they loved him, he couldn't get enough of it and this lightened the mood of the Redguard for the time being. But he still knew what he had to do.

_Congratulations, my child! _Damos heard in his head, and he smiled looking up at the sky as he nodded.

"Thank you Azura, I just wanted to make you proud." He then kissed his goodbyes to the crowd before walking back through the gate, receiving the cheers and embraces by his fellow gladiators of the House of Demetos.

Urzob and Sela were wakened by knock at their door. Still nude from their intimate relations they had upon the arrival of the gladiators, Urzob wrapped his loincloth around his midsection before answering the door, letting Damos in as the Redguard took a seat on the floor.

Sela still slept, Urzob covering her up and kissing her brow as he turned to the other in the room, confused on the visit.

"Did you not partake in the pleasures of a man that Demetos provided for the gladiators?" Demetos usually purchased the whores of the brothel in the city after a victorious trip to Alik'r Arena for celebration. Damos always thought the process was repulsive, and he shook his head.

"To lay with a woman who has lain with so many other men, and women for that. No thank you." Damos chuckled before helping himself to the wine that Urzob and Sela had.

"I come to tell you of something that I learned last night during my rest." And the Redguard did, he told Urzob of everything that Azura had shown him and what happened, he also told the Orc of his intentions which filled the champion with fear and surprise.

"You want to escape!? That is madness!" Urzob shouted silently to Damos who was still adamant in his decision. The Redguard still wore that sour expression from before his victory in the Arena, and Urzob thought he would wear it for the rest of his days.

"Yes Urzob! I don't want to die a slave, nor a gladiator! Demetos had all three of us captured, and we have had to suffer the punishments of being in this house for to long! I am thinking of an escape plan as we speak. Urzob, don't you love Sela!?" Damos asked pointing to the sleeping woman.

"With all my heart."

"Well you can't start a family with her here!"

"And you think that out there we can start one!" Urzob stood as he shouted, waking Sela who covered herself as she looked at her husband arguing with Damos.

"An Orc does not wed a Imperial, and only here in Tirenus is this accepted. In the places, that we come from, they would never accept this! We would surely be hated!" Sela grabbed his forearm, caressing it as she spoke.

"What are you two talking about?" Damos stood, still staring Urzob in the face as he answered her question without actually doing so.

"If you do not wish to escape with me, maybe others will! I will not serve under the bastard Demetos Urzob! He is the cause of all that has happened to us!" Damos cursed before he stormed out of the room, Urzob still fuming as Sela comforted him back into the bed.

"Urzob, you must understand that he isn't as resilient as you."

"No Sela, that boy has seen much in his time as a slave, his mother's body, his father's murder. I know why he wants to leave so bad, I had nothing to hold onto when they captured me."

"But now you have things to hold onto, so why shouldn't you reach for higher goals than being the champion of Alik'r Arena for them. Do you not want something better for us? Have you never thought of better things?" She spoke, as she hugged Urzob from behind, her bare body pushing up against his bare torso.

"Yes, its just I am worried for the boy, I want him to be content in whatever he wishes for himself. I fear that this motivation to escape enslavement will be the end of him. They would surely kill him."

"Then die with him, Urzob. He is your friend, more than that, my love." She said before kissing his neck. She turned his head before kissing him passionately, dragging him back on top of her as they showed their love for each other.

Three months had passed since Damos' first match, and for the next fifteen of his fights, the Redguard went undefeated. His quick movements and sly tactics usually kept him from sustaining any damage, and the only scar that the Damos had ever sported was the one he got from fighting Larius, when the Imperial's spear had caught him in the face, producing a scar that ran from above his eye, to below it.

But even Larius couldn't have inflicted a more terrible wound that Onaeus Demetos had done. The Redguard constantly defied the Imperial's orders, even though he was starting to grow close to Damos as the Redguard claimed victory after victory for the House of Demetos. Damos used this to his advantage however, starting to converse and even scheme with his "Master."

"Well Damos, I have always held you in thought, since the day you walked in, the first time I saw you, I knew you would be a great gladiator!" The Imperial lied horribly, although Damos smiled taking a cup of wine that was offered to him and nodding.

"Well thank you Master, I was sure I would eventually serve the House of Demetos better than just a house slave."

"Well I must depart now Damos, it seems that Issatia would want me to join her in bed, return to your quarters, I would break conversation tomorrow if you have the time." The Imperial joked.

"Yes Master." Damos bowed to the man, trying not to vomit as he walked to the leisure area of the gladiators.

Two of them were brawling, a large Redguard winning the fight against an Orc, and Damos sat watching the fight until he was joined by Bjork, one of the senior warriors.

"Did you get it?" Bjork asked before Damos smiled, a thin sliver of parchment in his teeth. He slipped it out before he unfolded it many times, picturing an aerial image of Tirenus. The Redguard and Nord conversed as the gladiators roared with the fighting.

"So Damos, what do you plan for us to do?"

"Well if you would look at this for a second instead of glancing back to the fight every minute, this is where we are. The weystone that brought us here is in a tunnel, which is right here, on the complete opposite side of the city. Now this city is probably a fourth of the size of the Alik'r, so we will have to move quickly and unseen."

Bjork nodded before he stood, pacing back and forth as he thought.

"Me and my Nords are fifteen strong, I talked to Larius, it seems that he has twelve Imperials including himself, that's twenty-seven." The Nord would stop before he thought some more. "Do you know if the Redguards are with us?" He asked with a smirk.

"Bjork, my brothers are always with each other, we have never wanted to be here! Redguards are as strong as any Nord, and as smart as any Imperial, so we won't have any problems there, don't worry." He chuckled, even though Bjork was still quiet.

Damos hinted the air, the stillness telling him that it was night. "Bjork, rest for today, I do not want to further our plan for at least another few months." This calmed the Nord who nodded before walking off to his bed.

When all was still, Urzob rose from his bed, awake since he had slept all day. The "Hammer of Might" walked through the yard of the House of Demetos, testing his sledgehammer before he started to swing it with all his might. He often did this when he couldn't sleep, and Damos watched him from the porch before stepping forward, stopping the Orc in his tracks.

"Urzob."

"Damos."

"Have you made your decision yet?" Damos had asked Urzob to escape with him, including Sela, Damos knew that the three of them could escape and start new lives as free souls. But Urzob had been rigid with his decision.

"You know I have not." The Orc rested his hammer on the ground, before he hefted it onto his shoulder, the large weapon easily wielded by him.

"Then I have a proposition for you, my good friend." Damos always kept a pair of swords in his left hand, and tonight wasn't any different, however this pair wasn't wood, but his iron swords he dueled with in the Arena. "Me vs. you, Urzob, we shall fight. If I win, you help the slaves here escape, but if you win, then I will not do so, but do not think that the others that I have asked to help me will discontinue their dreams of being free men." He offered before the Orc looked at him blankly.

Urzob sighed, his hammer falling to the ground before his hands found its handle, swinging it with a powerful motion before he roared at the Redguard. "I accept your challenge, but notice. Your weapons and mine are real, this will not be a training session." He declared. Damos grabbed the swords in both hands now, their simple leather sheaths being shed quickly as he took his stance the light of the many torches lit around the House of Demetos refracting in their shiny blades.

"Good luck then." Damos said but Urzob did not return his comment, the Orc's hammer landing a hard blow upon Damos' chest. The Redguard flew backwards, landing in the sand and sliding for another few feet before he coughed up blood. "I'll get you for that!" He returned before jumping from the ground, his form flying at Urzob's as he attacked with both swords, the Orc blocking everyone of his attacks.

Yes, Damos was skilled, but Urzob had been fighting in the Arena for thirty plus years, and it showed.

The Orc roared before he thrust the shaft of his weapon, Damos lowered to avoid it but was caught in the chin by Urzob's knee before he was sent reeling back by a bunt from the sledgehammer. Urzob winded up, preparing to uppercut Damos with the hammer but that was one of his regularly used moves, and Damos knew this.

Damos' foot was placed on the hammer as it sped towards, Urzob swinging it like a golfer. The Orc was surprised when he saw the Redguard launch off of his weapon, the young man landing about a yard away. Damos was stooping, his left arm holding him up as he tried to rest for a brief minute. Urzob didn't let him.

Racing towards the other, Urzob lifted his hammer, bringing it down to the bare ground as Damos rolled to the left before rising and slashing a sword, slicing through the tendons in Urzob's right arm. The Orc made due with his remaining arm, as he swung the heavy weapon with just his left. His movements were more easily read now and he dodged them easily. Urzob's anger grew as he tried and connect with the quick movements, but he grew tired and had to rest shortly.

"I'll end this then." Damos spoke as he walked slowly, circling the Orc before he ran at him from the left side, Urzob couldn't grab his hammer fast enough however, and he was slashed down the chest by Damos' swords. The Orc shouted out in pain, the hammer now raised and landing square on Damos' shoulder, dislocating it, and sending the Redguard sprawling over in pain.

"This is finished, I have won, now stop this nonsense Damos!" Damos didn't listen however as he headbutted Urzob in the gut, the Orc's breath escaping quickly before he was elbowed across the face by Damos who had discarded his weapons. "Stop!" Urzob shouted once more before he grabbed the dreadlocks that hung behind Damos' head, pulling the Redguard's hair and swinging him away.

"No!" Damos stood before running again, tackling the Orc and fixing his head between the Orc's arm and body before he lifted him uneasily off the ground before he threw Urzob several feet away. Landing next to the training weapon rack, Urzob grabbed a wooden shield before he retreated behind it on the ground, Damos slashing relentlessly with one of his swords. Jumping with his final attack, the young gladiator brought his sword down with a crushing blow, completely destroying the shield before he kicked Urzob square in the face.

"I submit! Cease your attacks." Urzob finally called, completely defenseless and vulnerable as Damos breathed hard, looking down upon the Orc whose form was covered in blood and sand. Damos dropped his sword, helping the Orc up. "I didn't know that you had the skill to actually defeat me, how did you?" Urzob asked, trying to reason how he had lost.

"I don't know, it just happened." Damos shrugged, a quick smile darting across his face. Urzob smiled too before the two started to laugh uncontrollably, not having done so in such a long time since their relationship had been strained by the plans of escape.

"You are truly "The Demon" Damos, and I will be glad to stand by you in the escape plan. But it will have to wait since we are both injured." Urzob nodded, grabbing the others arm by the forearm, Damos doing the same. "I will protect you till my last breath, like I promised you those years ago. Thank you for opening my eyes to what they have done to us, now let us finished what they have started!" Urzob roared out before Damos returned.

"Let's, and Urzob, I won't tell anyone about this, but I think I am the new champion!" He smiled.

"Damos, you seem to sport the signs of battle, what has happened?" Onaeus asked out of worry that such a talented gladiator would be removed from Alik'r Arena.

"Sorry Master, it seems that I must have gotten them from last night." He smiled, he was being truthful with Demetos, but he explained further. "Some late night training with Urzob, to better myself for the Arena." He nodded.

Onaeus Demetos nodded in understanding. "Well do not make a habit of it, you must be well fit and well rested so that you may be ready." Demetos continued on about things of business and how it was getting hard to trust his peers.

"You see Damos, these greedy snakes would bite your head off if you gave them the chance to, and knowing when they are about to strike, that I would pay money for." He continued before he pawed around his desk, finding a bag full of coin. Throwing it to Damos he explained. "Those are your winnings from the Arena, and some extra, I want you to do some things for the House of Demetos, that will better us."

"Anything Master, will it and I will do." He said with disgust. 'Why me,' he asked himself as he started to listen carefully to Demetos.

"You see, the gladiator trainer, Antonius Aquilinius, has started to peek his little head into my business. So I want you to do something for me." He smiled before walking over and placing his hands on Damos' shoulders. "Find him in the city, and teach him a lesson. He spends his time with the whore, Marta, in the brothel at around three. Make sure he does not recognize you, and when you finish, you may stay for the pleasures of the brothel for as long as you want." He finished before patting Damos' cheek, turning before dismissing him.

The Redguard fumed as he walked down the street inside of Tirenus, the men and women not taking note of him in his red, hooded cape. He moved quickly, and only looked up when he had to check where he was. Twice he had thought of escaping, but his friends were still back at the House of Demetos, and he would never leave without them, so on he continued to the brothel, a place where he absolutely despised.

As he walked, the lively music, and moans of lust and pleasure grew louder as he neared the brothel. Finally reaching the building, Damos grunted as the smell of all types of bodily fluids filled the air. Women stood outside, their bare breasts showing as they were showed off to anyone who felt like purchasing an hour with them. Damos sighed, donning his hood as he walked through them.

'Why would someone want to come here, for sex!?' He asked himself as he walked through. Now he searched for Aquilinius, opening the green curtains that separated private rooms from the main one, where whores and men reveled for anyone to see. Damos sighed, ignoring the sounds and sights he saw before he finally found Aquilinius. The Imperial's head was thrown back in pleasure, his bodice stretched across the floor, nude as the whore Marta, bounced up and down on him, nude as well.

"Hey get your own room!" Aquilinius shouted before he was taken up by the Redguard. The naked Imperial was thrown against the stone walls of the room as the whore, Marta screamed in horror. "Please stop!" Aquilinius shouted as he was punched repeatedly, by the mysterious man.

The alleyway behind the brothel was perfect for seclusion, and Damos utilized it as he made his way through the house of pleasures, ignoring the shouts from others who stopped to look at the brawling pair.

Aquilinius squirmed like the snake he was until he was held firm by Damos, who held the man straight into the air as he questioned.

"Why are you looking into Demetos!?" He shouted before kneeing the man in the gut, his fists landing on his face again before he was thrown to the ground. "Why!? Damn it answer me!" Shouted Damos and the elderly looking Imperial looked up, still naked as he answered.

"I was asked to do it, a favor for a friend, and fellow gladiator trainer! He wanted to find out about some slave, a very successful one at the House of Demetos, the one that uses the Twin Swords style." He shouted in pain and fear at Damos, who was surprised. Who was trying to find him, why would anyone want him?

"Tell me who did this!?" He yelled, his hands reaching to his belt to pull forth a sinister looking dagger that he waved at Aquilinius.

Antonius Aquilinius did not speak, for fear of the repercussions that would come for revealing the man's name, but Damos' dagger was now tracing against the veins in his neck, and he spilled all of the information. "Al Tufayl! It was Al Tufayl! He wants the gladiator dead, for something that happened back when he was just a slaver!" Damos' hand retreated.

Al Tufayl! The man who had captured him had finally shown his face. This was the first time Damos had heard that name in a while, and he nodded before he grabbed the man's neck. "Thanks for the information." He then threw the man up against the wall, knocking him out in the process before he walked back through the brothel.

The whore, Marta, had been posted near the door and clung to Damos as he walked through the brothel, trying to get something more from Aquilinius' things. "My my! Your so strong, how about you stay and have a good time with me, huh? I would certainly let you be in control, that other guy is always so boring, and he finishes so quickly." She was silenced by Damos, who rose, his hood still covering his face as he grabbed the woman's arm.

"Leave me alone!" He shouted before he walked out, back towards the House of Demetos. He had several papers, and the money that had been paid to Aquilinius, he was going to get some answers. And he knew exactly who he could talk to for them.

Onaeus Demetos, of course.

* * *

Thanks for reading everyone, if you enjoyed the chapter, leave a review of it. I'm always looking for new ideas and I am willing to answer questions about the story if you ask. Also, I plan to write some other stories, maybe even some lemons including Damos. So please, if you think that will be something interesting for you to read, or you just like my stories, let me know. See ya!


	6. The Taste of Victory

Chapter 6

The Taste of Victory

Al Tufayl paced around on his balcony, the Redguard's eyes watching over the city of Tirenus from his home on the highest peak inside the cavern that hid the city. His newest bed mate, an Altmer house slave rolled from his bed only to be stopped by him. She clutched her tattered dress to her naked front, only to be grabbed by the forearm by Al Tufayl, who threw her back to the bed before shouting.

"Did I dismiss you!? I thought I told you to warm my bed after I was done with you!?" He yelled, his scimitar now licking against the Altmer's neck. She whimpered before nodding her head, dropping her dress and laying back in his bed.

Al Tufayl sneered, his scimitar finding its way back into his sheath before he turned back, his eyes falling over the city once again. "Now, as I was saying, I cannot wait for our debut at the Arena today, we will surely be to die for!" He laughed at his own jokes, looking now at gladiators that trained in his yard. They used real weapons to train and Al Tufayl's strongest gladiator roared as he finished off his opponent, plunging his twin swords into the chest of a fellow gladiator, before slicing the loser's neck open to finish him off.

"Yes, we shall be a sight to see!"

The crowd roared as the gladiator owners took their seat on their own private balcony, the medium sized group included Onaeus and Issatia Demetos, Antonius Aquilinius, and Al Tufayl, who arrived late along with an unknown woman. The Redguard took his seat, smiling at the others who smirked at his appearance.

"Well hello Al Tufayl, it is nice to have a new arrivals in the Arena, its very exciting to have so many new gladiators, I just hope my men don't kill to many of them." Onaeus Demetos bragged, Al Tufayl laughing along with the Imperial before speaking.

"Hmm, I'm sure my combatants will do just fine, I have seen what you offer, and I am not impressed." Al Tufayl spit back, causing Onaeus to seethe in anger and frustration.

"Well I'm sure _both_ houses will give good entertainment for us and the crowd." Issatia spoke on her husband's behalf before the master of ceremony, Antonius Aquilinius stood and silenced the crowd before speaking.

"Welcome to Alik'r Arena, the place spoken of in whispers throughout Tamriel! Today, we have a new arrival to the games, Al Tufayl!" The Redguard stood and saluted to the crowd who roared out before Aquilinius continued. "His gladiators will be pitted up against the favorites from the House of Demetos!" Onaeus stood, the tremendous roar from the crowd much louder than Al Tufayl's.

"Now let the games begin!" Antonius Aquilinius shouted, the crowd reacting to his voice before he introduced Al Tufayl's first gladiator, the Dunmer was very muscular and he wielded a long metal whip, the tail a sinister looking dagger. He roared and bowed to his master, who nodded back. Aquilinius waited for demonstration of fierceness to stop before he continued.

"Now from the House of Demetos, I present to you, Larius!" The Imperial shouted at the crowd as he walked out, his spear and shield held into the air as he showed off. The Dunmer smirked until Larius was finally done with his entrance before he attacked the Imperial without the signal to start from Aquilinius. Larius tried to dodge over and over, but the quick whip struck him with every flick of the Dunmer's wrist.

"Die damn you!" Larius shouted before rushing, his spear catching his opponent in the side, the Dunmer shouted, not even flinching at the pain before the whip was wrapped around Larius' neck. Onaeus stood, watching the event unfold as the whip tightened hard around Larius, the Imperial falling to his knees and dropping his weapons.

"You go to the Void today, my friend." The Dunmer laughed in Larius' ear, taking the risk of getting close to his opponent since he was doomed anyway. The crowd roared and cheered as the Dunmer flicked his whip, the blade at the end finally catching the gladiator in his neck. Larius grabbed at his throat, his life force draining out of his body before he fell in futility. The Dunmer shouted out with triumph, the crowd cheering him on. The only ones who were not cheering were Issatia and Onaeus Demetos, the ladder actually cursing the Gods for the loss of a good gladiator and money gone to waste.

"I don't know why you started out with your best gladiator, my best have yet to step onto the sands!" Onaeus challenged.

Al Tufayl laughed out, clapping at the show before he looked at angry Onaeus. "Oh Demetos, Tiberius there was one of my low ranking gladiators, the day has just begun!"

The day was filled with bloodshed, both sides feeling the pain of defeat, but not as much as the House of Demetos. Following Larius, five more gladiators of the House of Demetos fell to the hands of Al Tufayl's rouges. Bjork the Nord was the only one that had actually won a match, others had given the sign of surrender, losing all their honor, but leaving with their lives.

Damos sighed as Bjork was helped out of the Arena, he may have won his match, but the Nord had sustained enough damage to kill him, and he was hauled off to the medic immediately after the fight. Urzob grumbled, he was kinda happy that he was retired from the Arena, which had happened in the recent days leading up to the present day. He now was the Teacher, his duties now included helping new gladiators become the warriors they needed to be. He wore a red bronze chest plate and green trousers, a heavy sword belt securing them.

"I guess I will finally have a fight to look forward to, I may get some scars in this one." Damos said playfully as he stood, swinging his swords to loosen up. The young Redguard had watched some of his friends perish that day, and he wasn't really worried, he actually looked forward to a good fight.

"I hope you don't play around! Damos these are not ordinary gladiators, they are trained by Al Tufayl!" Urzob shouted at the Redguard, obviously worried about his closest friend. Damos nodded in understanding.

"Urzob, I will be cautious, but how can I not be excited about this!"

The Orc sighed, shaking his head before he spoke lowly to Damos. "I hope your excitement is also backed by carefulness, because I'm sure your opponent has been instructed to kill you!"

The crowd roared as Onaeus stood, his brow furrowed at how many losses he had suffered today and how Al Tufayl bragged of how many victories he had gained on his first time at the games. The Imperial sighed before shouting to the crowd.

"The House of Demetos has saved its best gladiator for last, you know him as "The Demon" so let me present Damos, the twin bladed swordsmen!" Damos walked out, dressed in his finest armor to date. A leather manica that covered his right arm, a leather shoulderguard on his left shoulder. On his legs he wore bronze greaves, and like always he sported his twin swords, the blades shining in the torch light.

The crowd went wild, men shouted and sang his name out in honor, while women yelled out their love for him and showed their breasts. He chuckled before he looked towards the private balcony, nodding towards Onaeus and then looking to Al Tufayl. His expression did not change, but he knew what the other was thinking.

Al Tufayl shook as he stood, still terrified of the young Redguard even though he was far from him. He could feel the hate for him rolling off of Damos and fill the air. He tried to compose himself as he spoke.

"Um...today, I shall show you my strongest gladiator. He has slain many men, during his time as a gladiator and as a free man before his capture. I now present to you Matthias, using the Twin Sword style!"

"What!?" Onaeus rose, looking from Al Tufayl to the entering gladiator, and as his master spoke, the man carried two swords, although they were longer and more sinister looking. Matthias, a Redguard as well was somewhat larger than Damos, but not as muscular. He chuckled before looking at the opponent from the House of Demetos.

"So, "The Demon" is you!? Your smaller than me, you surely won't survive this fight, I'll tear you apart!" Matthias shouted his swords scraping together as he stared Damos down.

"Hmm, I'm gonna enjoy this, even though your obviously copying everything about me." Damos teased, taking his stance. The signal was given and the two Redguards collided with a roar of the crowd. Damos quick attacks were the first to strike, and Matthias' swords blocked them. Spinning while thrusting Damos' swords to the right, Matthias slashed, connecting with Damos' torso.

The crowd gasped as the Demetos gladiator fell back in pain and surprise at the sudden blow to his chest that sent his blood flying through the air and onto the sand. Damos fell to his knees, looking up in time to catch a kick to the face that sent him crashing into the ground.

"Get up Damos!" The Redguard heard coming from the gates, and he rolled, barely missing a double sword stab from Matthias who kept slashing and stabbing at the evading Damos. Grunting with pain, Damos stopped, spinning on his back and back onto his feet before he locked his swords with Matthias. The two Redguards had a battle of strength, although Matthias had the advantage with size.

"This is it!? I was sure all that talk would have meant something!" Matthias laughed into Damos' face, the young gladiator losing more and more strength as more and more blood pooled out of his chest. He was forced to his knees as Matthias pushed harder. The gladiator roared with triumph before tossing Damos away, now toying with the young gladiator.

"Such a disappointment, I was sure that "The Demon" of the House of Demetos would be stronger than this, but I guess I was wrong. Oh well, now they will call me Matthias the Demonslayer!" He roared before grabbing one of Damos' swords from the ground, walking to the retreating gladiator who still bled from his chest.

Damos sighed, thinking that his life was coming to an end as he clawed at the ground before he felt something hidden by the sand. He wiped the sand from the surface, finding an ancient shield under the thin sands of Alik'r Arena. He chuckled in thanks for the gift he had been given in this dire situation, praising Azura before he sticking his left hand into the shield's handle, still hiding it from Matthias, who was now drawing Damos' sword back to finish the young Redguard off.

Matthias roared as he thrust the sword towards the exposed back of Damos before he felt the sword fall from his grasp. Just in the nick of time, Damos pulled hard on his shield, the small defensive tool erupting from the sand to block the attack, also knocking the sword from Matthias' hand.

"Yes!" Onaeus Demetos shouted as he stood, Al Tufayl standing as well cursing the Gods as he watched Damos pound Matthias over and over with the shield with much skill. The thick shield proved good for bashing and using it with great skill, Damos combined certain moves, including bashes with the front, and blows with the rim. Matthias spat up blood as his entire body was attacked, his ribs were cracked, lungs pierced, nose broken, eyes swollen, teeth shattered, and body bruised by the quick attacks.

Now advancing, Damos pushed his opponent back enough to get to a sword, quickly grabbing one and using it along with the shield in a deadly tango of attacks. With his shield bashing and sword slicing, Damos had turned the fight into completely around in only a few seconds, and he was still far from over.

He bashed Matthias over the head, before drop kicking the other, both feet catching his opponent in the chest. Al Tufayl's strongest gladiator fell to the sands on his back, sprawled out. Matthias didn't know the act of giving up and started to stand, receiving a hefty kick to the face from Damos that put him on his back once again. The crowd roared, and Damos breathed hard, looking down at the bleeding and broken gladiator. He began to walk away, not going to kill the talented gladiator.

Matthias coughed up blood, his eyes glazing over. "Why did you not finish me off, and earn the respect for your victory?" He asked calmly, Damos stopping and speaking without looking back at the other Redguard.

"You are a Redguard, we may not share any relation, but the same blood of a strong race courses through both our veins, you are my brother." Damos finished before continuing his exit, Matthias scoffing before laying his head back down, unable to move from exhaustion and pain.

The gladiator owners clapped, all of them standing and clapping along with the crowd who clapped for the show of mercy that Damos had shown for his fellow gladiator. Everyone was satisfied, well except for Al Tufayl, who seethed with anger at the audacity of the young man. Taking pity on his gladiator, and not slaying him in the Arena!? Al Tufayl cursed the Gods for the thorn in his side known as Damos.

"Well Al Tufayl, it seems that we have won the day, maybe next time?" Onaeus offered his hand, surprised when Al Tufayl slapped it away before cursing him venomously. "What is the problem!?"

"That bastard of a gladiator, Damos, is my problem! He should be dead, all this time I have put into this very moment, I won't have it wasted!" Al Tufayl shouted, jumping from the balcony and landing on his feet with a thud on the sands. Damos was surprised, turning to see the image of Al Tufayl charging him with an ebony dagger in one hand and the blood stained scimitar in the other.

"Damos! He aims to kill you!" Onaeus shouted from the balcony, scared of losing such a talented warrior to such a snake like Al Tufayl. Damos blocked, only armed with his shield since he discarded his swords for the moment. The attacks were slow, but still hard for Damos with his injuries. However, Al Tufayl faltered, he had chosen to attack in a fit of rage, and his moves were easily read.

Damos spun, using the momentum to land a crashing blow to Al Tufayl's cheek, sending him faltering. The gladiator was on offense now, his blows with the shield hitting Al Tufayl in the face and over the head repeatedly. He finished with a uppercutting bash that was heard around Alik'r Arena. Al Tufayl fell to the sands, sprawled out like Matthias and Damos picked up the dagger. He chuckled, walking over and planting the point right on Al Tufayl's chest.

"You know, I have been waiting for this moment forever, I use to think everyday how I would kill you. I always thought that I would kill you with that scimitar over there, but you don't deserve to be killed by the blade that killed my father, let alone the one that still holds his blood." Damos slowly slid the dagger into Al Tufayl's gut, the man grunting in pain and sorrow over the moment. "Oh and I love the addition of the poison you added to the dagger as well."

Al Tufayl whimpered, his body now paralyzed as he slowly died, forced to stare at the fading image of Damos as his eyes blacked over. "Yeah, all you needed was a nick of the skin, and I would have been dead, but how does it feel to have a taste of your own poison!?" Damos shouted before rising and walking off, Al Tufayl's body shaking in spasmodic fits as he died.

Onaeus ran out onto the sands then, followed by the other men and women who sat with him in the private balcony. Onaeus looked at his gladiator, then to the dead body of Al Tufayl. His eyes stared, before he asked.

"Why did you kill him Damos?" He gulped looking at the young man now.

"He killed my family, and caused a lot of suffering, all who were responsible will die the same way if I learn of them." Damos said firmly, not afraid of the fact that Onaeus might have realized he knew that he and Tylisseus, Onaeus' father had set up the entire thing and had hired Al Tufayl back when he was a slaver leader to raid some small villages and settlements to improve their income, and one of those towns had been Skaven, the birthplace of Damos.

"I see..." Onaeus gulped, scared for his life that Damos might find out about his involvement in the deal but he nodded and continued. "Well you have deserved the right to do so, may whoever stand in your way again have the same fate."

Antonius Aquilinius sighed before fixing the Redguard with a angry stare. "Well I still think he should be dealt with Demetos! Your gladiator has killed a gladiator owner, plus left all of Al Tufayl's gladiators without a master. Now they will have to go back to auction and that costs me money!" Aquilinius fussed.

Damos sighed, he hated how the man just cared about money, and he remembered beating him up.

Onaeus chuckled, placing a palm on the raging man's shoulder. "Kind Aquilinius, it is no matter, I will purchase the gladiators, the Gods know I have lost many today, and the addition would do me good. Plus I'm sure that the House of Demetos could turn all of this raw talent they have and focus it into something great! Take Damos for instance!" Antonius Aquilinius nodded, thinking about the deal that Onaeus had just offered.

"Hmm, I find that very tempting, fine it will be done. We will talk about the transactions on the 'morrow. Until then, I will find storage for the slaves, and when our business is complete, I will then hand them over to you, is that fine?" Onaeus and Antonius shook hands before ladder walked off, leaving the occupants of the House of Demetos.

Damos stumbled, his body now very weak with the amount of blood he had lost. He was helped by Onaeus who helped him walk out of the Arena, alive and victorious.

Several weeks had passed, the escape plan now being held off with the amount of rebel leaders that had been lost and seeing that Damos had been injured so badly. More had been discovered when he was taken to the medic that day, even Matthias' blade had been poisoned, the deadly mixture was a blood thinner, making it easy for whoever was inflicted with it to bleed out quickly, Damos had been lucky.

He spent two weeks with the medic, and was not allowed to train at all during this time. His long scar that stretched from his left shoulder to the right side of his waistline healed very quickly, as a result of his Redguard blood and his very good health. Damos was able to walk after the first week, and run two days after that. Although his upper body strength had been limited, he still managed himself around.

Three days after Damos was officially released from the medic, the new gladiators arrived along with Antonius Aquilinius and his daughter, Mirela. Mirela Aquilinius had just turned eighteen, now permitted to accompany her father in his business dealings. The female Imperial was very beautiful, hair the color of the richest brown, olive skin, and lips that were red as blood. She was very uptight, and took to the idea that because of her social status, she was above most people.

This is what was noticed from her by Damos as soon as he saw her, and he smirked as the gladiators were brought in, bound in chain and collar. The two that intrigued Damos the most were Tiberius and Matthias of course. Tiberius, the Dunmer that had slain Larius, had the blood red eyes of any other Dunmer, but his seemed to be able to chill even the bravest of souls. And Matthias, in healing just like Damos, still looked formidable, even though his body was covered in healed scars inflicted by Damos.

"Antonius!" Onaeus greeted, the two Imperials hugging before Onaeus hugged and kissed Mirela in greeting as well. The Imperials spoke for several minutes before Onaeus turned, looking at the young gladiator in his ranks. "Damos, come here for a second." Confused, Damos rose, walking over to the three Imperials before standing at attention. "Yes Master?"

"This is Mirela, she is has reached her eighteenth year today, and you will be entertaining at her birthday party here tonight. She has personally requested you." Mirela looked at him with a smirk, watching the muscular Redguard with all her attention.

"He is tall, muscular, handsome." She said the last detail with a giggle, her father looking over Damos with a look in his eyes that was somewhere between disgust and fear. "Father? I'm sure he is perfect from what I am seeing, but there are other "delicate" features I would care to know about, for higher qualities sake, of course." She said, fixing Damos with a look that he couldn't quite understand.

"You must be out of your mind!?" Antonius Aquilinius shouted at his daughter, the girl not even giving him a reaction to his outburst. "To impose dear Onaeus' time with such a vulgar request and to even request it with such a character, I would not allow it!" That's when Damos payed attention, he wasn't book smart like these Imperials, but he knew what that meant.

"Excuse me!?" Damos challenged, taking a step towards Antonius Aquilinius, the ladder freezing in fear at the intimidating slave, only for the Redguard to be restrained and held down by the guards that worked for Demetos. Onaeus scoffed, striking Damos as he apologized.

"I'm so sorry, dear Aquilinius. He completely spoke out of term. Trust me, he will surely be punished for his actions!" Onaeus shouted, taking on the habits of how he used to treat all his slaves, with anger and quick punishment. The guards picked up Damos, ready to take him to a cell before Antonius Aquilinius stopped them.

"On second thought, maybe a little humiliation would teach him how to respect the right people, please allow him to participate in my daughter's request." Antonius Aquilinius spoke calmly although he seemed to direct the comment to Damos.

Onaeus nodded, signaling the guards to let go of Damos. The Imperial took one of their swords and held it to Damos' neck, nicking it just a little to let a small drop of blood spill. "Now, without any retaliation, remove your subligaria!" Onaeus ordered, Damos forced to obey.

Drawing the sword back, Onaeus scoffed. Damos shook in anger as he untied the cloth subligaria undergarment that he wore, peeling it from his body as he stood there, naked in front of the Aquilinius' family and the new gladiators. Antonius looked uncomfortable and Mirela gave a smug laugh. "Well father, your certainly wrong about him, he has nothing to be embarrassed about, for all I know, he should be proud." With that, Mirela turned walking off back to their carriage. "Thank you dear Onaeus, I will really enjoy my party tonight, oh and don't rough up Damos that much, again he has to be available." She smiled, taking a quick look at Damos before hopping into the back of the carriage.

"Take him away, I would have words with Antonius alone for a moment." Onaeus directed, the guards leading Damos off, the other gladiators watching him as he was taken to the basement of the House of Demetos, now chained up in the cell for punishment. Forced to stand and not expecting food and water for the remainder of the day, Damos started to bow his head and visit Azura, when he heard someone coming downstairs.

He was quite surprised to see Mirela walked down the stairs, her blue and green dress loose off her olive skinned body as she closed and locked the trapdoor behind her. She would walk up to the door of his cell, unlocking it with a hairpin before she walked in, looking at him with a smirk.

"You are something, you know that? A slave, having the audacity to challenge such an important figure in Tirenus, you would have to be foolish or brave to do that, and I know that your not dumb." Mirela sneered at him, her demeanor now mocking.

"I do not have to show you any respect here, I am already in punishment, you Tirenians are all the same, looking down on us slaves and making us do your bidding." He spat back at her, his eyes red with anger at the girl who didn't even flinch at his outburst. Mirela giggled, walking closer to the restrained Redguard before she placed both hands on his frame, feeling his muscles. Damos struggled at her touch, but to no avail as she grabbed his delicate parts, making Damos freeze.

"Like I said before, you have nothing to be ashamed of, your are gifted by the Gods. I just wish that we could have some time alone so that we may...explore the pleasures of the flesh, together." She spoke in his ears, smiling in his face before she kissed him, their lips caressing the others' before she giggled and turned, walking out of the cell and closing it before speaking. "I will see you tonight then Damos, and trust me, I will be thinking about you until we meet again, and long after that." She spoke seductively before walking back up through the trapdoor and locking it again, leaving the astonished Redguard in his prison.

The bright colors filled Damos' eyes as he entered his trance, now in the realm of Moonshadow, the domain of Azura. He felt the warm heat of the sun but was comforted by the coolness of the moon as well as he walked up the steps of the Rose Palace. The Winged Twilights greeted him as he opened the large doors, his appearance different. He wore the fine clothes of a rich man and he sported no eye scar. The Redguard was happier in this realm than his own and Azura embraced him when he finally arrived.

_Damos, my child. I have missed you so, you have been away for so long. Yes, it only seemed like seconds to me, but even that is to long. _She pouted to him, Damos smiling at the fretting Prince.

"If you hadn't noticed, I was almost killed in Alik'r Arena, and I'm presently being held against my will for standing my ground, so please excuse me for not showing up so often." He joked with her.

_You wouldn't have died Damos. That point in your life was not meant for death, but for birth. The birth of friendship. _Azura said sipping a cup of tea as she sat on her shining throne.

"I don't understand, I don't think anyone was born on the sands." He said, the reaction a annoyed sigh from Azura.

_I obviously have to tell you everything. On the sands those weeks ago, Matthias saw something in you that changed his entire attitude. He is confused about his feelings, he asks himself over and over why he feels like he should stand by your side as a friend. This is what I mean. _She explained before laughing at his expression.

"You can't be serious!? Matthias and me friends!? Surely you must be mistaken, just this one time perhaps?" Damos asked, but Azura shook her head, her smile revealing the truth that she spoke. Damos sighed, thinking of the larger Redguard, they were around the same age, maybe they could connect in some way.

_And I am surprised, who knew that Mirela Aquilinius liked to mingle with people beneath her. _Azura teased, Damos now blushing at the Prince's comment.

"I don't have anything to say about that girl, she is taking a risk that is dangerous for both of us, if she gets caught with me, I will certainly be killed! And I do not even wish to be with her!" Damos protested, looking at the ground.

Azura laughed quietly, her hand covering her mouth before she gave her wisdom. _Damos, my child. You won't ever make it in this world if you don't learn to handle new things, yes young Mirela is transfixed with the passions of the flesh, but this is because she is curious, not unlike someone I know. You must depart now, my child, but know that we shall meet again._

Damos lifted his head, finally staring into the hardened and angry looking face of Onaeus Demetos. The Imperial stared him down with the most sourest look that Damos felt sorry for whatever he was in.

"Now listen here _Damos_, if you screw this opportunity up for me, I will have your "Gift from the Gods" cut from your body and fed to my hounds, is this understood!?" Onaeus didn't care for treating his slaves nice now, he had turned over a new leaf when his father Tylisseus had died, but the slaves were now beginning to get edgy and rebellious, so he turned the mean and unforgiving Onaeus back on.

Damos nodded, the Imperial doing so as well before he unlocked his shackles and restraints. Damos rubbed his hands where he had been chained up. He grunted before looking at Onaeus before he finished.

"Now come with me, Mirela wants you bathed, oiled, and scented, since you have a party to attend to." Onaeus said with a small sneer, and Damos gulped afraid what the seductress had planned for him.

'Azura help me,' Damos spoke and he was leaded back upstairs.

* * *

Thanks for waiting up everyone, hope you enjoy the chapter. For all those you asked, yes one of my references for this story was the Spartacus series, and I'm basing some of the characters off of the characters from the show. I can't tell you much about it because of future events, but let me say that Mirela Aquilinius is based off of two characters from Spartacus, Ilithyia and Seppia. So review if you have the chance and thanks for reading!


	7. The Gift of Companionship

Chapter 7

The Gift of Companionship

Urzob drank from the large water basin that was free for the gladiators to drink from when they trained. He was busy teaching the new arrivals from Al Tufayl's group how to use their bodies as well as their weapons and they were learning very quickly. The Dunmer, Tiberius used a thick rope to train, since he used the Whip Chain style. "It is nice to falter, and not end up with scars or bruises, is it not Matthias!?" He shouted heatedly, the large Redguard Matthias training with his twin wooden swords. The two gladiators were sparing, and the Whip Chain was proving difficult for Matthias to avoid, since Tiberius' skill was close to perfection.

"I don't care to train at all, I should be dead, to be defeated by a runt like Damos!" He roared, his swords breaking as he banged them against the wooden post close to him. Tiberius saw the opening and flipped his rope, the end flying at Matthias who grabbed it in anger. "Refrain from giving me a reason to kill you Tiberius!" He threatened before letting the rope go.

"We do not kill our brothers here, at the House of Demetos." Urzob spoke, walking up to the skilled fighters. "Matthias, you are unlike anyone I have ever see, you get better the more you fight, that is a great skill to have." Matthias looked at the Orc, he looked like such a weakling but this was the legendary "Hammer of Might," the Orc who has slain a thousand men.

"I have nothing to discuss with you Orc, so leave me be!" Matthias shouted, only to feel the Urzob's whip wrap around his leg, and trip him, leaving the Redguard on the ground.

"Maybe you should learn something while you are here. I am the Teacher, regardless of how skillful you are or how many people you have killed. So you will treat me with respect! Or rather you feel the sting of my whip!?" Matthias stood, angry before grabbing a sword and shield.

"So you think you can beat me Orc!? I have killed men twice your size!" Urzob chuckled, his whip unrolled once again but he dropped it. The Redguard rushed him, the wooden sword being jabbed at the Orc before Urzob dodged them easily.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Urzob asked calmly as he dodged the furious attacks. "Good good, you are skill with the sword Matthias, you have the makings of a great warrior!" Urzob jumped to the right, grabbing a training sword as well, now easily deflecting the incoming attacks from Matthias.

"Shut up Orc!" Matthias shouted, dropping the shield to use only the sword now, his attacks grew shorter and faster, stabbing and slashing with the wooden sword. Urzob chuckled, his sword now being knocked out of his hand by Matthias who breathed hard, still holding his weapon before Urzob nodded.

"Good job Matthias, your technique improved very quickly, analyzing your opponents movements and style is also very good, but extremely difficult to do so in the amount of time you did it in. You and Damos are obviously the strongest two here." He praised the Redguard, who looked at the Orc in confusion. Why was he happy, he had just lost! Matthias was astonished when Urzob offered his hand, the Redguard taking it slowly before he smiled along with the Orc as well. "Thank you for the lesson Urzob, I mean...Teacher."

Damos sighed as he stood in the middle of the party, forced to stand at attention during the party in his Prime Armor, his twin swords in his hands as he stood, feeling the looks upon him by the nobles. He could feel the looks of awe, the champion of Alik'r Arena, an absolute killing machine, forced to stay still during the entire party.

"Look at him, he is so regal looking, even for a slave." He could hear some women discussing before they started to laugh, he squeezed his swords in anger. These Tirenians, they used slaves for everything, yet they held them in such low regard. This angered him the most, and he found himself going into a trance as he stood, his body would be unaffected, and he would awake when spoken to.

His eyes closed for a second, and flashed a bright light before they glazed over as he entered Moonshadow. The Redguard sighed, still frustrated as he entered the Rose Palace. He felt different once he was inside however, the normally calm energy that filled the realm now buzzed with activity.

_Come, my child. Another Daedric Prince has entered my realm, you might as well meet him. _He heard Azura's voice explain before he followed it. He entered another room, the Queen of Dawn and Dusk was sitting and speaking with another, who Damos guessed was the other Prince. The other Prince looked like something out of a story. He was tall and muscular, easily larger than Matthias or Urzob. He was tanned, but he wasn't as dark as a Redguard. The man's body only sported a long black loincloth. Damos could not see the body's face however, since it was covered with the mask of a skull, the top of the mask sporting a antlers. The Prince held a large spear in his left hand.

_Damos, this is Hircine, the Lord of the Hunt. He and I have been talking about you, he is someone I would like for you to meet, my child. _Damos nodded, walking closer to the large Daedric Prince.

_It is nice to meet you Damos, don't let my current form intimidate you. Azura tells me that you are a very talented warrior, are you skilled with the bow!? _Damos shook his head, Hircine frowning. _Well that is too bad, I had hoped you were, we could have hunted together, shame. _Hircine turned to Azura then, his back to the Redguard.

_I think I will be on my way then Azura, thank you for the conversation. Oh, and Damos. _He turned back to the Redguard, pricking him with the large spear he carried and tasting it. Mm_, you have very good blood, you certainly could survive the change. We will meet again Damos, very soon. _Hircine then disappeared into a vortex of purple energy, his laugh the last thing to leave the realm.

"He was very nice, I guess, what did he mean by "change?" Damos asked, Azura quite shaken by the things that Hircine had spoken of. "Azura!?"

She seemed to snap out of her little trance and nodded. _Hircine may be the Lord of the Hunt, but he is also the Father of Manbeasts. So I assume he plans to turn you into one, my child. Damos, you have to be careful, that curse can be difficult to get rid of. If you plan to accept the gift of lycanthropy ever, know what your getting yourself into. _

Damos nodded, but he was now being woken from his trance by the outside world. His astral projection faded as his conscious was pulled back into his mortal body, the Redguard shaking his head as Onaeus slapped his cheeks softly. "Damos, what is wrong with you!? Your taking your duties a little to serious!" The Imperial whispered before Damos nodded, showing he was responsive.

"Sorry Master, I was just, in another place, but don't worry about it, I'm fine now, what do you wish?"

They were interrupted by Antonius Aquilinius who boasted his superiority over the other guests, his drunken outbursts embarrassing his daughter and causing a problem for everyone at the party. "Dear Mirela has asked me to assist with the nuisance of her father, and since you have more experience with dealing with the man, maybe you should do it, you will be rewarded I assure you." Onaeus explained, Damos nodding before he sheathed his swords, walking over and grabbing the shoulder of Aquilinius.

"Master Aquilinius, maybe you should calm down and take a rest, you are very drunk." Damos spoke calmly, his soft smile shining at the drunken Imperial. Antonius eyed him however, shaking away from him.

"You think you can stop me slave!? Your just a dumb, feral gladiator whose only purpose in life is to kill, and you follow orders like the dog you are!" Antonius finished by spitting into Damos' face, the crowd around them gasping at this. Damos did something between a sigh and growl, his hand tightening around Antonius' shoulder.

"Just come with me, Master Aquilinius, you need to rest." Damos gently pulled him but was batted away once again, Antonius drawing one of the Redguard's swords and pointing it at him, the crowd gasping and shouting in alarm. Damos was completely still, his own sword now poking him where his heart was.

"You think your better than me slave!? I'll teach you a lesson!" The drunken man shouted, stumbling as he swung the iron blade back and forth trying to connect with the Redguard. Mirela Aquilinius held her hands to her mouth, watching Damos deflect the wild advance from her father.

"Father, please stop this!" She walked up, pulling on her father's clothes to try and stop him, but he only pushed her away.

"Get away, you brat! I'm so fed up with you! Always asking for things, and spending my coin, your just like your mother!" Antonius shouted, sending Mirela into a fit of sobs, Issatia Demetos following her to console her. With that, Aquilinius turned back, the sword he held slashing after the Redguard once again. It wasn't very hard to block the attacks, but the instinct to strike back was edging him constantly through the little squabble.

Antonius Aquilinius stumbled, and Damos took the chance, his arm shooting out and grabbing the thrusting arm of Aquilinius before grabbing the sword and elbowing the man in the face. Aquilinius fell back on his rear, the drunken Imperial now being watched by everyone as he was secured by the house guards. Onaeus sighed, walking up to the gladiator and patting him on the back before speaking to Aquilinius.

"You have ruined the party, caused a scene, and humiliated your daughter and yourself all in a few minutes, I congratulate you. Now please, take him somewhere he can sober up." He instructed the guards before turning to Damos.

"Good job, you have done well tonight. I know that Mirela will be thankful of the justice you did for her. I will try and find her and my wife, I suppose she will want to stay somewhere away from her father for the time being." Onaeus sighed, nodding his thanks to the Redguard before turning and walking away.

The roar of the crowd sounded as Damos walked onto the sands of Alik'r Arena, his twin swords raised in the air as he shouted in happiness of the praise he was receiving from the crowd. The gladiator owners all perched in their own private balcony clapped at the young Redguard.

"Damos is ready for battle! He will surely take care of the opposing gladiator quickly, and without difficulty I am sure." Onaeus Demetos laughed before he watched the opponent walk out onto the sands, his style the of the Heavy Sword variant. With a sign from the Master of Ceremony, Damos and the other gladiator began their fight.

The Redguard shouted as his twin swords slashed against the large saber, their blades creating sparks that tingled against his dark skin. Spinning, Damos caught the gladiator in the cheek with an accurate roundhouse before shouting to the crowd. The large sword hit the ground along with its wielder before he it was grabbed up by the other gladiator.

"Hmm, you sure you want to continue!? There's no going back after this!" Damos cautioned, the gladiator shouting in rage as he rushed the Redguard. Damos' swords crossed into the shape of an "x," his blades catching the claymore before it was twisted from his grasp. Now defenseless, the gladiator started to run, the crowd booing while his owner cursed with anger. Sheathing his blades, Damos grabbed the large sword, swinging it before he threw it roughly at the retreating man.

"Gotcha!" Damos shouted as the claymore buried itself into the back of the gladiator, severing his spinal cord and killing him before he hit the ground. The Redguard roared with triumph, the crowd responding as did the gladiator owners, whether they cheered or cursed.

"He has done it again!" Onaeus shouted before hugging and kissing his wife and Mirela. The rival gladiator owner rose quickly before leaving in a fit of anger, his accompaniments following suite, leaving Onaeus and his party.

"Damos! Damos! Damos!" The crowd shouted before he bowed and started to walk towards the exit, until he felt the ground shake a little. The crowd hushed as Damos turned, his eyes glancing over the form of a Sabre Cat stepping on the sands.

"What the...!?" Damos shouted before the predator began to run towards him, the golden coat of the Sabre Cat blending in with the golden sands. Damos grabbed his swords, retreating away from the Sabre Cat as the crowd gasped and screamed in fear. The predator was advancing quickly and Damos knew that sooner or later it would catch him

"Urzob open the gate! Open the gate!" Damos shouted, the Orc reacting to his friend's cries for help before he grunted against the wheel that opened the gate.

"It's not opening! Damos your gonna have to fight it!" Urzob shouted, this making the Redguard lose all hope he had in himself before he ran full speed at the wall. His feet caught the stone wall before he jumped back towards the Sabre Cat, slamming into the beast as they wrestled.

Damos could feel the claws and teeth of the monster graze against his vital areas, only to be jerked away from the Redguard's efforts as he fought with the beast. The swords slashed and stabbed into the predator's coat, covering it with blood although it still fought on in anger.

"I'm definitely not going to die here!" Damos shouted, his chest now being slashed by the Sabre Cat.

Shouting with pain, the Redguard stepped back, faltering as the beast pounced on him once again. Damos felt the razor sharp teeth of the Sabre Cat lick his neck, and he could see all the way down the creature's throat as it roared and chomped at him. Now growing tired, Damos could feel his body afflicted by more slashes and bites from the predator as he tucked into a ball.

'This can't be happening, I can't die now, I gotta help everyone escape!' Damos thought to himself before kicking with all his strength, the beast being pushed back for only a second, the Redguard taking the quick relief to tighten his grip on his swords before he plunged them deep into the Sabre Cat's chest as it pounced once again. The beast gave a loud roar, and it grew still on top of Damos, the Redguard falling back in relief as he felt the animal's breathing stop.

"Damos!" Urzob shouted as he finally got the gate to open, the Orc rushing to the dead Sabre Cat before he lifted the large carcass off of the Redguard, Damos coughing and breathing hard in return. Helping his friend to his feet, Urzob looked Damos over, seeing if his wounds were near fatal.

"What happened!? Why did I have to kill this Saber Cat!?" He shouted, looking over the carcass of the great beast before he stared up at the balcony that held the gladiator owners. Onaeus Demetos roared with laughter and praise as he clapped for Damos along with the crowd. "This was Demetos' doing, and I'm sure he wouldn't have agreed to it for no reason." He declared, finding that Urzob was now stooping to the Sabre Cat.

"This beast was a mother, and it is still carrying a cub! Lend me your sword!" Urzob shouted before Damos grabbed a sword and handed it quickly to the Orc, who in turn cut carefully into the abdomen of the beast. He dug into the warm flesh of the carcass before he pulled forth a bundle of black fur. The cub survived the ordeal, and Damos was happy to see this.

"A true survivor, and look it is female. What should we do with her!?" Damos asked Urzob, who in turn rose as he held the mewling black cub in his arms. The cub opened its eyes, and Damos was amazed when he saw that they were the color of its mother's pelt, bright gold.

"Well Damos, since you have taken care of its mother, I assume that it is your duty to care for it, just don't let Demetos find out will you." Damos was astounded with the proclamation, and didn't know what to say as Urzob handed the bundle of fur to him.

"Me!? Why do I have to do it!?" He asked over and over to Urzob, the Orc only walking away from him. Damos had mixed feelings but the small female cub soon grew on him, and he found himself cooing and playing with the cub. "That's a good girl, your so beautiful! I think you and me will be best friends!"

The cub would mew at him before it took hold of his finger, licking softly against his rough finger before it purred and fell asleep into his chest. He smiled before he left the sands of the Arena, now seeking somewhere for he and his new friend to settle so that he could feed and care for her.

"She's so cute!" Sela exclaimed as she ruffled the black pelted cub, the little female growling at the Imperial before it waddled back to Damos. "Well, I guess she has taken a liking to you Damos, she thinks your her mother!" Damos chuckled, picking up the cub and cuddling her, the bundle purring as she was hugged by the Redguard. It had been several weeks since the cub joined the group and she was just now meeting Sela.

"Well I haven't left her side since Urzob handed her too me. And she certainly won't venture far away from me either. We are best friends, and I'm sure we will always be!" Damos proclaimed, his cheek now being licked by the young cub.

"What have you decided to name her?" Sela asked as he walked closer to the pair, only to receive a glare and hiss from the cub. Damos would calm her down before motioning Sela to step back.

"I don't know, I have just called her by what she is, Cub. But I think that it is time for a name, her name will be Subira!" Subira growled playfully with Damos, seeming to accept the name as she batted with Damos' dreadlocks. Sela would smile at Damos and Subira before she rose and hugged Urzob who finally entered their room.

"Urzob meet Subira!" Damos exclaimed with a smile before holding the cub out who mewled cutely at the Orc. Urzob chuckled before sitting on his bed and removing his armor before he was dressed only in his ragged trousers.

The trio along with Subira conversed for about an hour before Damos and his companion finally left the couple to their sleep. Letting the black cub perch on top of his head, Damos walked into his new room. He was rewarded the room since he had defeated Subira's mother. It was about the same size of Sela and Urzob's room. Laying down on his bed, the Redguard played along with small cub before he fed her the precious milk that he stole from the kitchen of the House of Demetos.

"You know Subira, you and me will escape from his place. You'll grow into a large powerful creature, maybe you will still be my friend then, maybe you won't I don't care. I just love you now, my little bundle of joy!" He spoke before petting her gently, the cub falling asleep soon.

He smiled, his body stretching out alongside his companion's as he thought of his future. What would he do when he finally escaped Tirenus. Maybe he would live with Sela and Urzob, maybe become a sailor, maybe even go into adventuring! He didn't know, all he knew was that he would soon free all who had been enslaved by the Tirenians and that he would do so in the name of Azura.

The large man stood smiling as he pet the large hound next to his side. The Lord of the Hunt, Hircine sat upon a throne of vines as he peered down at the two companions. It was he who had sent the Sabre Cat after Damos in the Arena, although the Redguard had disappointed him when he saved the cub instead of slay it like its mother.

_Hmm, you intrigue me Damos! To care for something that is a natural born killer, just like yourself. I guess the spawn can be considered as a gift from me, although you are now in debt to! Oh, what fun I will have with you once you are free from the chains of slavery! Oh what fun!_


	8. The Struggle For Dominance

Chapter 8

The Struggle For Dominance

The hustle of the House of Demetos was now calming down as day turned into night, and once the nobles and guards who resided there were asleep, the gladiators and slaves met in the baths, the largest room where they could all fit. Damos along with Urzob stood before them, the two old friends going over the escape plans that would be put into effect the next day, during the birthday party of Onaeus Demetos.

"Some gladiators will be entertaining the nobles with shows of skill, the house and body slaves will be serving the party. Those gladiators who are not chosen to entertain the Tirenians will be directed back to the barracks. The House slaves will make the first move, while the nobles are watching the gladiators, I need you all to lock all the doors to the house, this won't allow them to escape and call for help. The guards will be posted in their regular positions, but some will be present at the party.

Urzob then took his time to speak, directing his words to the gladiator that wouldn't be present at the party. "What we need all of you to do, is quietly take out the guards who aren't attending the party. Since me and Damos won't be present, we need you signal one of the house slaves. A well aimed sword on the balcony will do that for us. Once the house slaves get the signal, we need you all to signal the entertaining gladiators. When we see it all went down smoothly, then we will begin the assault." the Orc finished with a hefty slam of his hammer to silence the worrying slaves.

"I know many of you have been here probably your whole lives, me and Urzob have been here quite a while too. But can you remember the feeling of being free!?" Damos shouted, the slaves now nodding their heads and shouting back in agreement. "If so, fight with us for our freedom! I guarantee you that when the House of Demetos is taken, we will free all of our brethren across the city of Tirenus!" The gladiators and slaves alike joined in with a hopeful chant that shook the ground.

"So!? Are you with me!?" Damos shouted, raising one of his swords which signaled the slaves to do as well, lifting their hands and shouting out in hope that they would be able to see their ends as free men and women.

The Redguard smiled before he turned to the Orc standing next to him. "So, I guess its time to send them all to Oblivion!" Damos held out his hand, waiting for Urzob to grasp it.

The Orc did not hesitate and tightly squeezed Damos hand as he spoke back. "I wouldn't have it any other way! We follow you to the death!" Urzob declared, the slaves shouting their confirmation of this as the two shook hands.

Damos chuckled before he looked at the large group of slaves, some gladiators and some house slaves. These were his brethren, and he knew that they would succeed in their venture. "To the death then." He said before shouting along with them.

The Redguard waited for everyone to exit the baths before he sat down and thought about the plan over again, everything seemed like it would work. His mind was racing but he looked up to see Matthias standing in front of him, the larger Redguard silent. Damos felt as if the other would stare at him forever, but he finally broke words.

"You seem doubtful of our efforts that will happen tomorrow. Are you not the one that has put this plan in motion!?" Matthias added, a hint of disrespect in his tone that made Damos angry. This man had accepted everyone at the House of Demetos except him.

"I do not have time to argue with you Matthias! Yes, I did do this, I just don't want to fail the people who rely on me! If I fail, then we all die!"

"Damos, you confuse me, in more ways than I can think of. You are brave around people, yet you worry and suffer when alone. Be rigid in your decisions! You say you are scared for the fate of these slaves, we all are scared, but show them that you can face your fears! I look up to you, although physically I look down at you." He joked making the other laugh, Damos rising now.

"Damos, I have hated you since the day we met, I was foolish then. You sparing my life was not pity, it was pride. To admit that you didn't have the wrath to finish a strong fighter, that is something that most do not have." Matthias placed both hands on Damos' shoulder before he continued. "You are a jewel, Damos, and I would follow you to Oblivion and back."

The smaller gladiator nodded, acknowledging Matthias' words before the larger Redguard left Damos to his thoughts. Matthias had eased his mind and now he walked back to his room. When he entered, he was pounced upon by Subira, the black cub's claws now scratching against his legs and causing the skin to break slightly.

"Ouch, that actually hurt a little. Good job Subira!" He praised her, rubbing and scratching the little bundle as she purred from the feeling. He had taught her to pounce recently and now she was pouncing on the rats that occasionally entered his room. She had also been weaned, and now she feasted on the large rodents whenever she caught them. She was still a cub, but the little one's eyes had changed color from their early blue to the bright golden color that they all possessed.

"You have already eaten haven't you!?" He asked her, although she did not answer. The half eaten rat in the corner told him that she had and he only gave her a little water from his reserve before he gently laid her to sleep. He stroked her pelt a few more times before he laid himself down.

"Hmm, so tomorrow I become a free man, it seems to weird now that I think about it." He spoke to himself before he finally drifted off into a deep sleep.

The Redguard was confused when he felt his soul leave his body, the young man's astral projection falling into another realm. This place wasn't familiar however, the realm of Moonshadow was bright and colorful, just like Azura. But this place, it was gloomy and covered in mist, although all he could see was forest. Damos shouted out trying to establish where he was but his only response was the howl of a wolf, a very large wolf at that.

"Damn!" Damos cursed before he turned and started to run, the Redguard's legs propelling him quickly through the forest which seemed to go on forever. Damos could now feel the breath of whatever was chasing him on the back of his neck, making him run even faster. The Redguard's side began to ache as he started to slow, but he was forced to stop once he came to a cliff.

"Azura help me!" He shouted, turning just in time to see the creature tackle him over the cliff. Damos struggled with the monster as he and it fell through the air. He knew that he couldn't die here, because everyone back at the House of Demetos relied on him surviving so that they could escape.

"I won't die here!" He shouted, punching and kneeing the monster before the two of them hit the surface of a small river. The water slowed them down enough that the fall did not kill them, however they still fought with all their might. The Redguard grabbed whatever the thing was by the neck and squeezed, although the sharp canines of the beast flicked towards his neck.

"No you don't!" Damos declared, his hands darting to jaws of the creature. As the claws of the beast erupted at his gut, the Redguard roared with effort as he pulled the jaws apart, the gladiator breaking the jaw of the creature which immediately died and fell to Damos' knees.

_Bravo! Bravo! _Damos heard and he turned, seeing the form of Hircine descend from the air, his large body holding the large spear that he sported constantly.

"Hircine! What have you done to me!?" Damos shouted at the Daedric Prince who laughed at the sight of the frightened and angered Redguard, ignoring his injuries as he awaited his answer.

_Well, I wanted to see your worth. Azura has obviously grown attached to you for some reason, she has the gift of looking deeper into one's destiny. Maybe she hasn't mistaken you for a weakling!? _Hircine laughed, the Prince using his powers to lift the carcass of the creature into the air.

_Do you know what this is!?_

"I don't think I really care to know right now! I am quite aggravated at the moment!" Even though he was, Damos did manage to take a peek at the creature. Whatever it was it was huge, much larger than Urzob or even Matthias. Its form covered head to toe in thick brown fur. It looked almost human, but the eight inch long claws on every finger plus the foot long canines that protruded from its elongated face proved that it wasn't all human. "What is it!?"

_This is one of my hounds! Mortals call them werewolves, and they are quite useful! I am surprised that you could actually survive, and to do it without getting bitten! _Hircine nodded at the Redguard who breathed hard with exhaustion.

"May I go back to my world now!?" He asked impatiently, the Redguard now watching as his scars from the beast disappear, Damos now realized that Hircine was taking them away.

_Fine mortal! You may leave, but feel free to come back whenever you feel like being a part of the hunt! Predator or prey, whichever you like! _Hircine laughed before he snapped his fingers, the Redguard being encircled in a vortex of raw black energy before he appeared back into his room.

"Damn, I hate him!" Damos shouted before he settled back into his bed to sleep for the oncoming events.

The birthday party of Onaeus Demetos was finally underway, and the gladiators who would be performing for the nobles entertainment were to include Damos and Matthias. The two Redguards were the two best gladiators of the House of Demetos, for the time being. They were ordered to be bathed and scented before they took to their entertaining. So as Matthias finished, Damos was ordered in next.

As they passed, Matthias smiled as he walked by. "The body slaves are ready, and the house slaves said that they have some chains to secure the doors, everything is going smoothly." Damos nodded and they grabbed each others' arms before they continued on.

Damos was greeted by the house slaves as he entered the baths and he nodded them away so that he could bathe. The Redguard carried a sack that was wrapped around his body and opening it, he pulled forth Subira, who growled once she saw the water. "You don't have to bathe Subira, I just didn't want you alone during the revolt, so I will carry you with me." He explained to her before placing her towards the back of the room in a dry area.

The sounds of footsteps approaching caused Damos to panic, throwing the sack over Subira before he turned, shaking at the sight of Mirela Aquilinius. The Imperial giggled at the naked Redguard before her and she walked closer to him, as he circled away from her, trying to keep her attention from Subira.

"What do you want!? I have to bathe and get ready for the party, so please leave me alone!" He shouted, the girl ignoring his words.

"Hmm, Damos I don't think you know your place. I am a noble, and all you are is a slave, one that has been graced to fight in Alik'r Arena at that. I may not own you, but you can be sure that one word to dear Onaeus can have you thrown into a cell for the rest of your days!" She shouted to him, Damos settling down as his muscular body relaxing now. He couldn't jeopardize the plan, not now!

"What is it that you wish of me, Mistress?" He asked, making himself bow before her, Mirela smiling at the Redguard before she explained her reasons.

"I have known you for some time now, watched you and longed for your touch. The thought of you taking my maidenhood..." She trailed off, closing her eyes and biting her lips lustfully before she pawed at the straps to her dress, the purple silk garment falling to her ankles. Damos tried not to look at first, but the Imperial walked towards him, grabbing his hands and placing them on her nude body.

Pushing him up against the wall of the bathes, she kissed him, her hands caressing every part of his body before she jumped, making him catch her in his arms before she wrapped her legs around his waist, lowering herself on him before throwing herself back in pleasure. Damos tried to compose himself, the girl was beautiful, but the thought of sharing this type of relationship with her made him sick to his stomach.

Before long, he was forced on his back, Mirela moaning and calling his name as he rode him, her hands posted on his muscular chest as she did all the work for both of them. He struggled to keep his wits about him, but his hands shot out to her thighs, caressing them before he grabbed her hips, moving her harder on him. Mirela groaned, her face hidden by her loosened hair although she now bended over so that she and Damos could look each other in the eyes as they "made love."

An hour easily passed, the two of them changing position several times during their session. The Redguard's endurance and stamina proved to much for the classy Imperial noble who was used to everything being given to her. She easily climaxed several times from him, Damos only once as he finally finished. He rose, shaking as he looked down at the girl who was stricken with pleasure.

Washing himself furiously, Damos hurried out of the baths, securing Subira on his back in her sack once again before he walked out, leaving the young Imperial to rise on her own. Before he could go however, Mirela finally rose, her body still naked and covered in sweat as she spoke. "Wait Damos!" He stopped, not looking at her as she continued now that he stopped. "I know of your plan for today..." Damos was rigid with fear as he turned, looking at the smiling Imperial before she stood, getting dressed again before she started to walk over to the Redguard.

"Yes I know about your little escape plan, and don't think that your gonna get away with it either!" She laughed.

The Redguard knew what he had to do, and he grabbed her by the neck, choking her roughly as he planned to silence her for good. The look in her eyes was made up of pure surprise, mixed with fear of the situation. "No...Damos...I won't...tell..." She managed to say before she started to pass out. Damos was content on killing her, but her words made him drop her, the girl coughing furiously as she struggled to catch her breath.

"I'm not gonna tell anyone, I want you to take me with you!" She finally spoke afterward, shocking the Redguard along with herself at what she said. Mirela stood, hurrying up to the Redguard before she kissed him passionately. "Take me with you, I'd rather be with you and have nothing than stay alone and have everything." She explained, although Damos looked at her with a frustrated and angry look.

"Why should I!? For someone who can jeopardize my plans, why should I trust you!?" He shouted to her, his muscular form now looming over her as he awaited his answer, Mirela looking down at the ground as she chose her next words carefully.

"Because I think I love you..." She said finally, Damos sighing before he looked at her once more, turning and leaving her alone in the baths, the girl falling to her knees as she sighed, finally happy with herself for admitting her true feelings. "He's going to kill them all." She said with a smile.

"Here I come!" Matthias shouted as he and Damos sparred for the entertainment of the nobles, man and women alike gasping and cheering for the two of them. "Where were you, we are behind schedule thanks to you." Matthias whispered to Damos as they fought playfully with each other for show.

"I got...held up in the baths, don't worry, we will still be alright." Damos said, assuring Matthias of the solidity of the plan and keeping his secret affair with Mirela Aquilinius still a secret for the time being at least. He looked around, watching the house slaves blend in with the crowd. Sela smiled at him as she served the nearest noble to her, a large Altmer. The elf however was having other thoughts than just being served, grabbing Sela by the arm as he pulled her towards him.

Damos could only watch as the Altmer tried to kiss Sela, the Imperial refusing his advances until he backhanded her roughly, the woman falling to the ground in front of her husband, the Orc seething in anger as he couldn't do anything for her. Damos smirked at Urzob, and he thought this was just a hurdle but when he saw the signal from Tiberius the Dunmer that the guards had been dealt with, he sprung into action.

The Redguard roared, his swords swinging as he slashed the back of the Altmer's neck, before using one of his swords to turn the large elf towards him, giving a sharp kick to the chest, the sudden action causing all to look in surprise. The women nobles screamed at the sight of blood spurting from the Altmer's neck and they all ran away from Damos who was joined by Matthias and Urzob as the trio stabbed and slashed at the guards who were attending the party.

The three gladiators used their skills to block and strike back at the larger group of guards who were attacking them. They all attacked with synchronized movements, which tired the three revolutionaries quickly, even though their back up was coming shortly.

"Where are they!?" Urzob shouted before he finally finished off one of his attackers with a sharp strike.

"They better get here soon, or these bastards might actually kill us!" Matthias answered before he fended off a twin attack from two guards.

Damos could feel the floor shake as a large group of people moved towards them. The Redguard laughed as his comrades approached but he was silenced when he saw that the advancing group was not gladiators, but the rest of the guards, led by Tiberius the Dunmer.

"What in Oblivion!?" Urzob shouted, pushing back two guards before he finished them off with a swing of his hammer, the large weapon cracking both their skulls in before another four took their place. Damos couldn't believe it, but now he faced the Dunmer, Tiberius, his whip flicking back and forth at the Redguard.

"Tiberius! What has gotten into your mind!?" Damos shouted, his form rolling on the ground as he dodged the whip that licked his flesh, the flexible steel that the weapon was made of easily extended when motioned by the wielder. The Redguard watched as Urzob and Matthias continued to ward off the numerous guards that attacked them.

"What's on my mind! Your the one who has ruined everything for me! I was one of Al Tufayl's greatest gladiators, I was high ranking and I earned my title through hard work and through bloodshed! But when you killed Al Tufayl, that was selfish! I was reduced back to a lowly grunt, forced to fight my way back up through the ranks but how could I? The gladiators of the House of Demetos are legendary, all of them trained to be ruthless killing machines! I wanted to kill you since the day you slayed my master!" The Dunmer shouted, his whip flicking violently as it slashed against Damos', the Redguard grunting at the pain.

The gash seemed to fester as Damos continued to dodge, causing him to slow and weaken. A swift kick to the chest sent the Redguard backward, making him lose his footing before he was on his back and looking up. Tiberius laughed, now looking down at Damos as he spoke. "Sorry, but you won't survive this! I promise you!" And Damos blacked out, the last thing his eyes viewing before black engulfed them were the two forms of Matthias and Urzob losing ground.

The day was winding down when Damos finally awoke, his body weak and aching. As his eyes opened, he saw that he was in the yard, surrounded by the nobles who had survived the onslaught from Damos, Urzob, and Matthias. They were all surrounded by guards, wielding halberds of gold. Onaeus Demetos stood in front of them all, next to him the rugged looking Antonius Aquilinius.

"Your timing was impeccable, your plan flawless, and synchronization on point, what you didn't realize was the wolf I planted among the sheep." He spoke calmly, Tiberius walking forward with a devious smile on his face.

Damos tried to rush at Demetos, but his hands were bound and tied behind him and around the wooden post he usually banged his wooden swords against. To the right, Urzob, Matthias, Sela, and the rest of the slaves and gladiators were chained together, all of them forced to their knees by the multitude of guards posted behind them.

"Damos, Damos, Damos, I am so disappointed in you, for all I have given you, this is what turn and do to me!?" The yelled then, slapping the Redguard across the face, making Urzob and Matthias shift in anger as they tried to free themselves. The Imperial stepped back, grabbing the oiled leather whip that Urzob used to train the gladiators, snapping his fingers as the guards responded to him.

They untied Damos, spinning him before they tied his hands together once again so that he faced the post and away from Onaeus. The Imperial swung the whip a couple times, the thick leather cracking loudly throughout the yard. "You will taste the feeling of pain, then the relief of death!" He shouted before cracking his whip against Damos' back.

The Redguard's teeth would grind together at the pain of the barrage of whippings, his back slashed and bleeding. By the third strike, Damos was shouting out in pain, although he did not yell for mercy, what Demetos was waiting for.

"Stop it!" Urzob shouted, the Imperial only whipping faster before he was finally stopped by Antonius Aquilinius, who gripped the whip. "He will not break from that, he is to stubborn. May I just kill him please, so we may move on with the others before the day has winded down?" Aquilinius smiled before he drew a sword that lay on a wooden table next to them.

"You bastards!" Sela shouted, her eyes shedding tears before she was calmed by her husband, Urzob shaking his head before he spoke. "Sela, don't Damos would not want it." He said, the Orc now crying as well. Matthias was silent as he watched the Imperial walk up to Damos, Antonius' smile vivid as he poked Damos in the middle of his back with the short sword.

"Ah, the Demon of the Arena. I haven't always like you, I must admit, and I will surely enjoy taking your life. Any last words!?" He asked, laughing afterward before he turned to the crowd, all of them laughing except for Mirela Aquilinius who was rigid with fear of her loved one being cut down by her father.

"Yes...I have one thing to say..." Damos finally spoke, his breathing heavy as he broke words. "I am sorry for the time that I assaulted you as you bedded that whore. It was not of my choice, only following my "master's" bidding." The declaration awed everyone, including Demetos, who backed away from Aquilinius who was now looking angrily at the Imperial.

Damos smiled then, his legs shooting out to kick Antonius in the gut, sending the man sprawling back on his rear before he was helped up by Demetos, the ladder being pushed away by Aquilinius. "That was you!" Aquilinius shouted before he began to argue with Demetos, as the two did not notice the Redguard, now free from his post walk towards them.

The two froze in fear, both of them watching Damos as he stood before them, holding the sword that Antonius had been wielding before he dropped it as result of Damos' kick. The Redguard spun it around before he looked at them, a smile upon his face.

"Now Demetos, what you didn't realize about me is that with all my time in chains, I have a knack for getting out of them." The Redguard smiled, his muscular body flexing before he ran towards the guards.

If he was going to die, he was going to die along with his friends, he wouldn't have it any other way.


	9. The Fight For Tirenus

Chapter 9

The Fight For Tirenus

"Kill him!" Damos heard Onaeus Demetos yell from the safe distance he was away from the Redguard, the Imperial leading the other noblemen and women back into the House of Demetos for their safety. The Redguard scoffed as the guards circled him, their long golden bladed halberds pointed toward him.

"Do you have any last words, slave!?" The main guard asked, his armor was more lustrous than the others, instead of the regular bronze armor over red garments, this one wore silver armor, the shiny layer of protection seeming to weight him down.

"I do, and remember it for the few more minutes you have in this life. I am a slave no longer, but a free man!" Damos shouted, his legs taking a stance as he was ready for their attack, his sword being held backhanded, both hands supporting it however. The guards all attacked at once, their halberds now thrusting at the Redguard. Damos would fall to his back, the weapons tangling above his face as the guards impaled one another, their captain the only one still alive after the ordeal, although he was bleeding profusely.

"Thank you for allowing me to win." Damos bowed to the guard who shouted at him, blood spurting from his mouth before he was silenced by Damos' blade, the sword slicing open the guard's throat. The Redguard's ordeal was met with the cheers from the fellow rebels. He quickly untied the gladiator including Matthias, Urzob, and Sela. Now arming themselves, the rebels prepared for the new fight that was sure to come, since enough time had passed for new regiments of guards and soldiers to come to the aid of the trapped nobles.

Damos strapped on his Prime Armor tightly to his body, the Redguard's twin swords now at his sides as he looked at the people behind him, prepared to follow him to Oblivion if he willed it. He smiled, the fear was great, but the hope that they would succeed was far greater.

"Damos, this is it isn't it?" Urzob spoke softly to the Redguard, his large frame was now sporting the Scaled Armor he use to wear when he still fought in the Arena, Damos shaking his head as he acknowledged the question.

"No, we still have to free all of the slaves that are still enslaved all through Tirenus, only then will we be truly accomplished with our endeavor." Damos explained, causing all who had overheard to nod in understanding and agreement. Drawing his two swords, Damos turned toward the House of Demetos. The locked doors kept them locked in the yard until help would arrive for the nobles, however the Tirenians did not think about the armor and weapons that were kept in the yard, so now the gladiators were armed to the teeth and ready for a long battle.

"And so it begins..." Matthias spoke proudly before he drew his own swords as well, the doors to the House of Demetos staring to open as the soldiers called to help the nobles burst through the doors, the Imperial soldiers running at them as they sported spears and shields. The gladiators roared once all together before they all ran towards the advancing soldiers, their weapons raised.

"Freedom!" They shouted as they all jumped toward the soldiers, the crash of battle filling the air.

Damos blocked two attacks with his swords before doing a joint move with Matthias, the larger gladiator flipping Damos over his back before the ladder sliced through the jugular of another soldier, Matthias kicking the dying man away before he slashed down on two soldiers. The two Redguards were in synch as they used each other to confuse and finish off their attackers. Urzob was a powerful force on his own, the lively Orc breaking the bodies of the soldiers, using the old sledgehammer that had brought him so much fame in the city of Tirenus.

"I am still the Champion of Tirenus!" Urzob roared proudly, his deep voice booming as he laughed. He easily grabbed the neck of a advancing soldier before he tossed the man over the cliff, the screams of anguish greeting his actions as he brought his hammer down hard on the next soldier. His wife, Sela, fought right next to his side, wielding a sinister looking dagger as she stabbed and sliced away at the bountiful mass of soldiers.

Damos breathed hard, his body growing weak as he uppercut a man before slicing his hands off, Matthias finishing the foe by spinning, his left sword slicing through the man's neck and severing his head from his body. "Damos! There are too many to continue fighting like this, we have to be smart about it now!" Matthias shouted, ducking to avoid an attack from Tiberius the Dunmer, who had woken up during the battle.

"You fight with these scum now to! I guess it is time for me to become the better fighter!" Tiberius hissed, his whip darting back and forth towards Matthias, whose quick thinking saved him from the onslaught of attacks. Moving closer, the large Redguard closed the gap between him and the Dunmer, making all whip attacks useless, and his more powerful.

"You haven't changed at all, so I will send you to Oblivion quickly! Goodbye!" Matthias shouted, his swords now burying themselves into Tiberius, the Dunmer's blood pooling at his feet as he was impaled. Death came quickly, and the traitorous gladiator fell to his knees before joining the dead that littered the ground. "Thank you for allowing me to win." Matthias spoke before moving back into the battle.

The soldiers' numbers were thinning down, although they took many gladiators and slaves along with them. The slaves fought bravely, even though they had no outside training of battle during their time at the House of Demetos. Damos kicked a guard straight in chest, before he was replaced by a soldier, the man's gleaming armor blinding Damos before he punched the Redguard in his face.

"I'll be the one who kills the Demon of the Arena!" He shouted, before he raised his golden tipped spear, the deadly weapon darting down before it was stopped by Urzob, the Orc snapping it in two once he had hold of the shaft. Roaring with anger, Urzob picked the man up, slamming him head first into the ground before he helped Damos up in a hurry.

"Can't have you dying on me now Damos, we are almost finished with them!" Urzob shouted as he spun around, his hammer banging against another soldier's skull, Damos stabbing the man to finish him off. After that, there was only one soldier left, a small frail looking man that was about the same age as Damos, who shook with fear at the formidable group of fighters.

"Hello there!" Damos smiled as he walked closer, placing a hand upon the man's shoulder. "You seem like a smart thinker, so think about this offer. You could leave Tirenus, go out in the world, and have a nice life. Or, you could fight me head on and perish a horrible death, so what will it be?" He asked with a smile on his face, the man gulping as he stared at the Redguard and the group behind him.

"Uh...so...which way to the weystone!?" The small man asked nervously which caused the group, and Damos to laugh triumphantly. The soldier talked with Damos for a little while and with a pat upon his back, he left with a smile on his face and a dream of becoming a fisherman. Damos watched the man leave, but he was motioned by Matthias to turn attention to the nobles who still took refuge in the House of Demetos.

"So, lets kill them all!" Damos shouted, the gladiators and slaves shouting out in agreement almost immediately.

"There trying to get in!" Onaeus Demetos heard, the Imperial turning to find the men inside his home run up against the wooden doors that were now being rammed in by the gladiators. The men tried with all their might to try and hold the slaves back, but they failed when the doors gave way, knocking them out of the way as the gladiators flooded inside the House of Demetos, slashing and stabbing at all the nobles as they kept coming in.

The sheer insanity of all the commotion was fatal for the nobles, all of them accidentally running into gladiators, meeting their deaths by their own actions. Men and women alike were cut down by the enraged gladiators, taking out their pains from their years of enslavement out on the very people who assumed their superiority over them. As the gladiators hacked and slashed at the nobles, Damos searched for Demetos, the Redguard finding the Imperial using a rapier that he hung on his wall to parry off the attacks from a gladiator.

"Demetos!" Damos shouted, gripping his swords tightly before he ran towards the Imperial, who turned and saw the form of the young Redguard sprinting towards him, turning from the gladiator as he ran away from Damos. "Don't run you coward!"

The Imperial would dodge falling bodies, and weapon arcs to get away from Damos, whose muscular form was quite faster than Demetos'. Onaeus found himself in the back of the house and he searched for somewhere to hide, but he was stopped cold when he saw the image of his wife standing calmly, blood all over her dress, in the walkway, before she fell to the ground.

"Issatia!" He gasped before he fell to his knees, cradling her head in his lap as he started to cry. The Redguard walked slowly to him, silent as he respected the Imperial's loss before he grabbed the man by his collar and throwing him back into the large room, the only surviving Imperials were Antonius and Mirela Aquilinius. "Stand up Demetos!" The Imperial stood with shaky legs his body becoming weak and feeble as he shouted. "What else do you want from me!? You have taken everything from me!" He shouted before he was stabbed in the gut, falling to his knees by the sword of Damos.

"I would have your life!" Damos screamed, his sword pulling from Onaeus' gut before he thrust the two swords into either side of the Imperial's neck, before he ripped them free, leaving Onaeus' head dangling from small thread of flesh, blood spurting from the area before the corpse fell to the ground, Damos shouting out with fury as he was bathed in the blood of Onaeus Demetos, the final step in him becoming a free man.


	10. The Slave's Tale

Chapter 10

The Slave's Tale

"Well what happened then?" Three small children asked in anticipation as their mother closed a thick leather book. Two boys, aged nine and seven sat on the wooden floor of their home as they looked up to their mother, the woman smiling as her daughter, the youngest at five, mimicked her older brothers.

"You see my children, that is something you will have ask your father." She would finally speak before the rambunctious group of children ran out of the cabin their family called home.

Their father was outside chopping wood, his powerful torso stretching as muscle and sinew twisted inside of him as he worked. "Papa! Papa!" The male turned turned, smiling at the sight of his three children as he swept them up in hug before he rolled around with them on the ground. "Yes children, what can I do for you?"

"Papa, we wanna know what happened to Damos after you and him escaped Tirenus, did he live with you and Mother?" The little girl asked, although their father was very reluctant in telling them about his past, as well as their mother's. "Sela, did you tell them the story?" He asked, the Orc standing to his full height as he looked at the Imperial, her brown eyes and hair still as beautiful as ever as she stared at her husband.

"Urzob, they were tired of every other story I know, they wanted something full of excitement, although I didn't tell them about the more "delicate" parts." She would confess, walking over to kiss the Orc on the lips. "Besides I am sure that they enjoyed it, now please tell them of what happened to our dear friend, Damos the Demon."

The Orc would nod, smiling at his family before he looked at each one of them. They all were mostly Imperial, like their mother, but they bore the star shaped pupils of their father, as well as a dark tint to their skin that made them slightly darker than other Imperials. Urzob was very proud of his two sons and single daughter and he sat down on the ground as he continued the tale that Sela had started.

"Well, I guess she has already told you of the final fight for control of the House of Demetos? After that everything went as planned, we took Tirenus for the slaves, slayed anyone who got in our way then everyone went their separate ways..." The little girl put her hand over her father's mouth as she shook her head. "No Papa, we want to know what Damos did! Was he happy that he finally killed Onaeus Demetos?"

The large Orc shook his head, holding his daughter as he explained further. "You see little ones, Damos was very angry with himself for killing Demetos when he did. For eleven years, the nobles of Tirenus had killed slaves to assert their power, and since Demetos was already grieving and injured, Damos felt that the death he dealt upon the man was dishonorable on his end." The truth of it all seemed rather funny to the children, although they didn't understand the honor of battle yet.

"What did he do then?" Lucien, the middle child spoke, his dark brown hair being pulled by his older brother, Darius, the halfbreed brothers now fighting among themselves as their father sighed. Avresa, their sister kissed her father's cheek making him smile as Sela stopped the boys' fighting. "So what happened then Papa?" She asked with a cute smile.

"Well for the next two weeks we were constantly fighting against the city of Tirenus. It seemed like their forces were infinite, and the amount of gladiators that we had couldn't compare, so we relied on training common slaves. They learned quickly, but did not have the prowess in battle as a trained and experienced gladiator has, and as result, many of them died as well." Urzob bowed his head in respect for a moment before he continued. "Their deaths caused Damos the most pain, he felt as if he were leading them to their deaths unprepared, and many a night I had to comfort him with my words, but it wasn't enough..."

The Orc let his daughter down, the small girl sitting on the soft green grass of the hill their home sat upon. "On the last assault to take Tirenus for the slaves, all the city's remaining forces were called in to defeat us, they ranged into the ten thousands, while we only numbered eight thousand. We fought very hard, and somehow after so much fighting, we got the upper hand. I myself must have slain another thousand men while we took the city, so I know Damos must have killed thrice that many. Alas, our endeavor wasn't costly, we lost Matthias towards the end of the battle, although he took many soldiers with him." The Orc discontinued to ease the pain that he felt for his old friend, Matthias.

Sela walked up and hugged him from behind, their children doing the same as they eased the Orc's heavy thoughts of battle. "Thank you all so very much, I sometimes get a little caught up in the moment when recalling the story. I will continue after dinner."

Urzob, Sela, Darius, Lucien, and Avresa all sat in their den after a hearty dinner of venison stew, with bread and butter for accent, and honeyed milk for Sela and the children while Urzob drank a tankard of his self brewed mead. Once they moved into the den, Urzob and Sela took their seats in their respective chairs, Urzob's a thick club chair custom made for his large form, while Sela's was a thin rocking chair covered with the hide of a bear.

"Now where was I?"

"You were at the part towards the end of the battle, right after your friend passed away." The eldest, Darius answered, receiving a rub on the head from his father before the large Orc sat back and shook his head in thought.

"Ah yes, I know what happened then, how could I forget. Once the army of soldiers had dwindled down, then the real fighting began. We fought for a full day, finishing off the soldiers that now were closer in numbers to our own, although their skill was not. By the next morning, Damos had slain the last soldier, and the city of Tirenus was under the control of the slaves." Urzob said proudly looking up and thanking Malacath for the victory that happened so long ago.

"So what happened then?" Avresa and Lucien asked simultaneously, their older brother nodding along with their question. Their father looked them over, he had believed that the story was done, and he rubbed his head as he tried to think. "Well, what do you think Sela? Should we tell them or should they be off to bed?" The question resulted in a furry of wails, the children exclaiming that they weren't tired and that they wanted to hear the rest about the great hero they knew by the name of Damos.

"Tell them, my love, but on the way to bed, it is well past your bedtimes." And with that they cheered, eagerly running to their beds as they awaited their father, who rose and kissed his wife on the brow before walking into their kids' room before he sat upon a chair to finish his tale. "So you three need to agree on one more thing for me to tell you before its lights out." Urzob warned, and they didn't need to think as they asked in unison. "What ever happened to Damos!? Where is he now?"

"Well my children, Damos never really knew of what he wanted to do after he escaped Tirenus, and for about a month he still didn't. Me and Sela were already married when we escaped, but we got married before a priest and made our home here upon this hill. Taking up my offer, Damos lived with us for that month, he helped around, tended the cattle, took care of the horses, he even hunted from time to time, although I don't recall him ever learning how to use a bow." Urzob would think about it before he continued.

"I was very happy, the two most important people in my life were still in it, although I could sense that Damos did not feel at home here. I often found him staring over the hill, wondering. I told him to go, and he soon left. Last time I heard from him, he was on a ship, trying to find his place, although he seemed pretty happy to be on the water, he felt at home." Urzob laughed, his large green body rising as he started to leave.

"Wait Papa!" Darius called from his bed, the large Orc turning to his eldest son before he looked at him, the eyes of the Orc telling the boy that they were only to receive one final question before bed although Darius ignored this. "What happened to Subira? That Sabre Cat that Damos had with him?"

The Orc laughed once again before he shook his head. "How could I forget Subira, that Sabre Cat is still with Damos, although she can't be carried around by Damos anymore, since she is several sizes bigger than him, although he isn't something to laugh at either." The Orc looked up and shook his head before he turned, kissing his children on their brows before he blew out the lantern that lit their room before he started to close the door. "Goodnight, my loves."

"Goodnight Papa." They all spoke, now drifting into sleep as the Orc closed the door behind him, prepared for the next day and the rest of his happy life.

The realm of Moonshadow was very quiet that day, and the Daedric Prince who watched over it, Azura was anxiously looking out of the large windows of her Rose Palace, the Prince sighing as the door of her palace was opened and a figure stood, a large black quadruped standing close to him as he walked closer to her.

_Damos!? Is that you!? _She asked before she walked closer, unable to see the form due to the light flowing in from behind it, making the two figures appear as silhouettes. Once she got closer, Azura was corrected when she saw two horns sticking out of the man's head, and seeing that he was really short.

_Oh! Hello Clavicus, what may I do for you? _Azura asked, trying to appear as if she wasn't disappointed with the tiny Prince's arrival. Clavicus Vile smirked, noting her tone as he directed Barbas, his companion, to seek out something back in their realm. The large dog disappeared in a large swirl of energy before returning with a piece of paper.

_Hello Azura, I have come to announce something to you, it seems that a certain Redguard has come up in the province of Skyrim, he has been taken captive and is now being treated as a rebel against the Empire. He was to be executed, but something rather intriguing came up that made me want to tell you. Almost on cue, as your ward's head was to be removed from his body, a dragon decided to make its appearance known to everyone present. Damos, as you call him, escaped himself, dodging the onslaught of the Dragon as he escaped the town known as Helgen. It is now burned to the ground, although I can't seem to locate your Redguard anywhere. _The Prince finished, Barbas looking to Azura who was mortified.

_What!? There is no way! _She proceeded towards a fountain that sprayed water the color of silver. As she gazed into the still water at the base of the fountain, the image of Skyrim came up and the Daedric Prince searched and searched, although she couldn't find the Redguard either.

_Where is he!? What have you done to him Vile!? _She shouted angrily at the small Prince who stood motionless and unaffected by her outburst, although Barbas growled in defense of his master. _Have you taken him!? So help me, I will strike you down Clavicus! _Azura threatened, her eyes glowing slightly as she stared hard at the other.

_Trust me Azura, if I wanted Damos dead, I would have slain him long ago, and on the contrary, I want him alive. This Redguard that you have picked as your ward is very interesting, many of the other Princes are already looking forward to his adventures in Skyrim. _

Azura turned, obviously done with the other, Clavicus Vile saw this and shrugged before speaking finally. _He is a diamond in the rough, although someone needs to apply the right conditions for him to shine! _And with that both Clavicus Vile and Barbas disappeared in a swirl of black energy, leaving the Queen of Dawn and Dusk to her thoughts.

_Oh Damos. I only wish you good fortunes, but I wish to protect you. _She walked over to the fountain once again, waving her hand over the silver waters. The Prince was now tearing up at her loss of connection with the Redguard, and now she viewed the image of a female Dunmer who slept peacefully at her shrine in the Province of Skyrim. _Rise, my child. I have a task for you. _

The orange sun was now setting upon the Province of Skyrim, the form of a muscular Redguard moving quickly through the forest as a group of Imperial soldiers gave chase. Dressed in the tattered robes of a prisoner, the Redguard was defenseless as he tried to move through the unfamiliar and strange habitat known as a forest.

"Get the Redguard!" The Imperial leader shouted, both his sword and his torch held in his hands as his men followed behind him as they chased the Redguard who was advancing quickly. This one was faster than he had ever seen, although the prisoner was moving into the plains, and there would be no cover for him to escape through.

As the Redguard moved, he saw that the forest was thinning and to his horror, the open plains were in front of him, and there would be no way for him to hide or anything. "Damn!" He cursed before he turned sharply back into the woods, and towards the soldiers. Their leader was a bit confused and he raised his sword as he lengthened the distance between his men and shortened the one with the prisoner. The Redguard was thinking as he advanced and smiled as he came up with his plan.

The Imperial swung his sword, a curving horizontal arc that would have sliced the Redguard's neck clean open, but the strong man was surprised when the Redguard slid, his form diving to the ground as he slid on the ground under the attack before he grabbed the Imperial from behind. Hearing the air, the Redguard turned, pulling the Imperial's body with him as an arrow embedded itself into the captain's neck, blood pooling out before his men.

As the Imperials gawked at the sight of their captain dying before them, the Redguard took the time to easily pull the sword from the Imperial's hand before letting the body fall to the ground as he began to attack the stunned force. His sword sliced although it easily bounced off their armor, far stronger than anything he had dealt with.

"We'll kill you for what you did to the captain!" One of the soldiers shouted before he stabbed with his sword, the Redguard spinning gently to avoid the attack before his sword buried itself into the one who shouted, his smile scaring the dying man.

"Well, I didn't do anything, it was you all who actually killed him." He spoke the truth and with that he pulled the sword from the man's body before he turned, seeing that all the soldiers held bows now. The Redguard sighed before he dropped his sword, his arms falling to his sides as he prepared for a lot of pain.

"Do you have any last words, Redguard!?" The newly appointed leader spoke as he pulled his bowstring back farther, wanting to slay the Redguard in one shot. The large man looked up, the emotion on his face changing to delight as he nodded. "Actually there is one thing I wanted to tell you: have you met my friend?" He asked, as a roar exploded from behind the men.

Turning, the Imperial soldiers would spy the image of a pure black Sabre Cat leaping through the air towards them. The predator easily slew the first two soldiers closest to her before she set upon the entire force, the Redguard helping the large beast with finishing off the men. Sword, claw, and fang dealt the soldiers an agonizing death, and once the last soldier fell to his injuries, the Redguard dropped the borrowed sword before he looked the last dying soldier in the face.

"Good job Subira!" He shouted before he nodded to the Sabre Cat, the beast seeming to nod back before it walked behind the Redguard and took its place by his side. The terrified Imperial ignored his injuries as he stared at the Sabre Cat that sat patiently at the Redguard's side. "You have trained such a beast?"

"Well, trained is a strong word, more like befriended." He would correct before he scratched behind the Sabre Cat's ear, his smile brightening up at the purr of the great beast. "So, if I may, do you have any last words before I end your miserable existence?" The Redguard asked before he grabbed the sword that was close to the man's body, obviously the weapon he had used to try and slay the Redguard.

"Who are you!?" The man asked, looking deep into the amber eyes of the Redguard, seeing no remorse for the death he and his companion had dealt, or the death he was sure to hand out to the shaking Imperial, the large Redguard standing to his full height.

"You can call me Damos." He would speak with a smile, his eyes closed in the moment, but he opened them and a victorious look came upon his face as he declared the final words that the Imperial would hear. "But, you can call me "The Demon!" And with that, the Redguard spun, his sword cutting gracefully through the air, the last thing the Imperial seeing before his eyes went black, was Damos' sword flying towards him.

About an hour later, the Redguard was sitting in the camp made by the Imperials as they scouted for him, his form laying silently on the bedroll of a soldier, Subira's long black form laying next to him as he looked up at the stars.

"Subira, you have been with me for a long time, and now I guess we are gonna have many adventures in this place these people call Skyrim. However, I was reading this book about it, and they actually describe how you should journey through his cold wasteland. I don't know about you Subira, but I think I'm gonna do it my own way!"

* * *

Well everyone, that is the final chapter of the Slave's Tale, but don't think Damos is done yet, he stillhis ready for adventure, and I'm sure Subira is too! I plan to begin on the new story tomorrow, and basically it will be the Skyrim storyline, with my own little twists on how I think everything should have been done, a little preview of this was how I had Damos escape by himself, rather than choose to leave with Hadvar or Ralof. If you have certain quests that you would want me to do while I write my new story, review this chapter. I thank you all very much for reading my first story, and I am sure that many more will come after this. So stay wonderful, and I'm gone!


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